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F1 development battle heats up as teams bring new upgrades to Canada
- F1, Formula one
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Photo from F1
Formula 1’s development race is heating up in Montreal as nine teams arrived for the Canadian Grand Prix with new technical upgrades, based on the FIA’s latest car update list.
The upgrades show how teams are still pushing for performance gains across key areas of their 2026 cars, from front wings and floor parts to cooling louvres, engine covers, rear suspension, diffusers and exhaust components.
McLaren brought one of the most extensive packages in Canada after introducing major upgrades in Miami. The team added a new front wing, revised engine cover, cooling louvres, halo winglet, rear wing endplate, rear suspension changes and new floor edge. Most of the updates were listed for performance, while the cooling louvres were tagged as circuit-specific.
Mercedes also arrived with a major package for the W17, focusing heavily on the front and floor of the car. Its upgrades include a new front wing and endplate, front corner changes, floor board, floor corner, floor body and rear corner. The package marks one of the team’s biggest development pushes so far this season.
Red Bull Racing also made changes to the RB22, including updates to the front wing, front corner, floor and engine cover. The front wing update is aimed at improving the car’s balance range, while the floor update is for performance. The front corner and engine cover changes were listed for reliability.
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Williams brought a smaller but notable package for Montreal, with updates to the front corner, front suspension and exhaust tailpipe. Racing Bulls also introduced changes to the floor body, rear corner, beam wing and exhaust tailpipe bracket.
Haas focused on several aerodynamic areas, bringing updates to the sidepod inlet, engine cover, floor body, rear suspension and rear corner. Audi’s R26 also received small upgrades, including updates to the front corner, floor diffuser winglet, cooling louvres and rear corner.
Alpine introduced a new floor body and rear wing upgrade for Canada, while Cadillac’s MAC-26 received changes to the front corner and diffuser.
While not every upgrade guarantees an instant jump in race pace, the number of updates ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix shows how aggressive the development battle has become. With McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull all bringing key changes, Montreal could offer an early look at which teams have found real gains and which upgrades still need more time to deliver on track.
This year’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend, including all Formula One activities and race day events, will run from May 23 to May 25 at the legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.