As the final phase of the season approaches, Mercedes are preparing important upgrades. The W15’s last improvements of the year will arrive in the coming weeks. Aside from these updates being pivotal for the next sequence of rounds, they will be foundational for Mercedes’ 2025 package.
James Allison outlines Mercedes priorities for the end of 2024
Considering how Mercedes began this year’s campaign, they are now in a relatively strong position. The Silver Arrows have claimed three victories and several podiums this season, thanks to an impressive mid-season development plan.
Upgrades to the W15 went a long way in eliminating the car’s unpredictable characteristics at the beginning of the season. Extraneous variables like wind conditions and track temperatures, though still something of a nuisance, have become far less impactful.
Mercedes were as fast as anyone in the build-up to the summer break, even as McLaren began to ramp up their own updates on the MCL38.
However, the last few weeks have seen Mercedes lose ground. As McLaren and Ferrari have taken steps forward, the Brackley squad can be said to have stood still.
Mercedes enter critical period
Updates have been lacking in recent weeks, and those that did arrive to the W15 failed to unlock the desired performance. Because of this, technical director James Allison describes the next phase of the year as crucial:
“We’ve got a fairly substantial set of new clothes [updates] for the car coming for Austin that we hope will give us a decent weekend there.
“So we’ve got to deliver all that and get ourselves ready for these last few races of the year.”
Owing to the substantial gap since the last race weekend in Singapore, most teams are expected to introduce substantial upgrades.
For Mercedes, their next package will determine to what extent they can trust their development direction for 2025. After all, next season’s cars will be an evolution from this season.
Considering that most teams are expected to focus completely on the 2026 regulations from January 1st next year, the next few months are critical for Mercedes’ medium-term prospects.
