Mercedes are working on a sequence of important upgrades for the W15. After two years of trial and error with updates, the Silver Arrows are confident about the next few months. Their existing aerodynamic platform is relatively new, meaning there is still potential for significant growth. Technical Director James Allison has spoken openly about his optimism for the future.
A promising future for Mercedes
In many ways, last year was a write-off for Mercedes. They were forced to make fundamental changes to their concept, a process that was overseen by James Allison.
The decision to replace Mike Elliott (who could be heading to Ferrari) was an admission that a new direction was necessary. It also signalled the beginning of a transitional period for the team.
When the 2024 season began, genuine concerns persisted at Mercedes. The W15 proved very unpredictable, with changes to track temperature often upsetting balance.
This was consistent in the opening races – when Red Bull seemed on track to comfortably claim another Championship.
However, Mercedes managed to make a breakthrough. A new front wing introduced in Monaco, in combination with other changes to the W15, corrected the car’s initial instability.
After bringing this upgrade package, the team’s correlation issues went away.
For the first time in years, Mercedes saw the performance gains in the wind tunnel translate onto the track. Confidence was clearly growing at the Brackley factory, with James Allison hinting at significant upgrades still in the pipeline.
The next push for upgrades
Toto Wolff’s team will make another update push after the summer break. The final upgrades of the year will arrive in the next few months – before development for 2025 becomes the priority.
This is a critical phase. For most outfits, the primary aim is to develop next year’s car as quickly as possible so they can prioritise their resources on the 2026 regulations.
In this sense, Mercedes must balance their short and medium-term priorities. To be clear, starting development sooner does not always equate to success.
The German constructor spoke candidly in 2021 about their decision to shift resources to the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Red Bull were still bringing new components at the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi.
A few months later, despite beginning work on the new regulations sooner, Mercedes were several steps behind the Austrian team.
Because of this, as is often the case in F1, making predictions is difficult. Still, what seems relatively clear is that Mercedes should have a very strong second half of the year.
