Mercedes technical director James Allison says the team's decision to keep developing its 2026 Formula 1 car late has put it "out of phase" with the other teams around it, causing a leapfrog effect as in-season updates produce large performance gains.<br>The W17 has been the class of the field so far, starting out the year with a 1-2 finish in Australia and going on to claim eight wins in the ...<a class='more' href='https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-mercedes-finds-other-f1-teams-upgrades-scary-with-its-out-of-phase-plan/10846296/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-ALL&utm_term=News&utm_content=uk'>Keep reading</a>