Mercedes relied on manual hammer adjustments for W17 suspension in Bahrain testing

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Mercedes were the early favourites for the 2026 Formula 1 season after the five-day Barcelona shakedown test at the end of January.

Although it was former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton who topped the timesheets at the Circuit de Catalunya, the Silver Arrows became the team to watch after completing 500 laps.

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Heading into the six-day Bahrain test, it was expected that Mercedes would continue their strong form. However, on the opening day at the Bahrain International Circuit, the team encountered issues with the W17.

George Russell was able to complete 56 laps in the opening session and ended the day sixth on the timesheets, but Kimi Antonelli was only able to complete 30 laps after an issue delayed his running in the second session.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Mercedes were forced to fix a suspension issue with a hammer

After missing half of the session, Antonelli was released from the pits and ended the opening day of the test in 11th place on the timesheets.

declined to discuss further detailsMercedes confirmed that the issue they faced in the second session was not related to their Power Unit, but they did not want to discuss any further details regarding the problem. However, it is now believed that there was an issue with the W17’s suspension, which they were ‘hitting with a hammer’.

F1 Correspondent, Lawrence Barretto, discussed the issue that Mercedes encountered on Wednesday afternoon on F1’s Pre-Season Testing Wrap-Up Show.

Barretto said, “Mercedes had a really good morning, George had put a banker number of laps on the board, and that carried on the feeling that Mercedes were the favourite as they went through the Barcelona Shakedown.

“Kimi had a tougher afternoon, as at one point he had only done one lap, and he had spent a couple of hours in the garage. The team said they had investigated an issue, they said it was not PU related, but did not want to give me any more details on that.”

Technical Analyst, Sam Collins, added, “Well, I have been fettling about in the back of the garage, and they were hitting it with a hammer. So, I know they had a big problem.

“I understand that the issue was in the suspension area of the car; they did not want to give more detail but obviously, they needed to make an adjustment with a hammer. So, that is a pretty substantial issue, because Mercedes are not the team to fix it with a hammer.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes had threatened to boycott round one of the 2026 F1 season

Despite all of their laps at Barcelona and their ‘adjustments with a hammer’ at the Bahrain Test, Mercedes had threatened to boycott the opening round of the F1 season.

It had emerged that Mercedes had potentially found a way to run at a fuel compression ratio of 18:1 when their engine is hot, compared to the set ratio of 16:1.

Reportedly, the FIA only check engines at room temperature, but Mercedes’ rivals all complained after the Barcelona Test, and had the opportunity to vote for a late rule change, which would have resulted in the Mercedes-supplied cars being unable to start the Australian Grand Prix.

However, after a recent ‘secret test’ performed by the FIA, it appears that the Mercedes engine does comply with the new fuel compression ratio regulations, even when being run at high temperatures.

This would put an end to any threats from Mercedes regarding a potential boycott at the Australian Grand Prix.