Mercedes warns Ferrari is becoming a major threat after huge performance leap. Ferrari’s latest progress puts Mercedes on alert, admits Bradley Lord.

Mercedes wary of Ferrari: “They must be taken very seriously, they’ve made a huge step forward”

Mercedes vice team principal Bradley Lord has acknowledged Ferrari’s recent progress, warning that the Scuderia is becoming an increasingly serious rival despite Mercedes’ dominant start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. He also confirmed that the Silver Arrows are already preparing another major upgrade package, which is scheduled to arrive after the summer break.

Mercedes keeping a close eye on Ferrari

Although Mercedes has controlled much of the championship so far, Bradley Lord believes Ferrari’s recent developments cannot be underestimated: “They’ve made a huge step forward. We probably didn’t see the best of their engine in Austria because of the temperature and the altitude,” Lord explained.

Even though Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc endured a disappointing weekend at the Red Bull Ring, Mercedes is not taking much comfort from Ferrari’s result: “For us, it’s clear that they have made a good step forward with their first updated power unit. We have to take them very seriously and continue paying attention to every detail.”

Mercedes preparing another major upgrade after the summer break

While Ferrari continues to improve, Mercedes is already working on the next stage of development for the W17, driven by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Lord confirmed that the team’s biggest upgrade package of the season was introduced in Canada, with additional smaller developments arriving over the next few races before another significant step later in the year.

“We brought our biggest upgrade package in Canada, then we had some smaller developments here, and we’ll have more at Spa and in Hungary. After the summer break, we’ll introduce our next major upgrade. We continue to work hard,” he concluded.