Mercedes were frustrated at the conclusion of last year’s campaign, suffering from a series of inconsistencies in their overall performance. Heading into 2025, the Brackley-based outfit are working to overcome their previous limitations – and mount a sustained title changes.
Mercedes work to overcome major shortcomings
For several years now, Mercedes have been vulnerable to a variety of changable factors. Changes to wind conditions or air temperatures have disproportionately impact their pace in recent seasons.
This was especially prevalent at the beginning of last season, where Toto Wolff’s team often experienced drastic swings in performance between Friday Practice and qualifying.
As the year developed, improvements to the W15 minimised this volatility. Victories for Hamilton in Silverstone and Spa, alongside Russell’s unlikely Austria triumph, confirmed Mercedes were on a promising trajectory.
Unfortunately for the Silver Arrows, their performance declined after the summer break.
Upgrades at Ferrari and McLaren relegated the German constructor down the pecking order. Even Red Bull, whose progress in 2024 was extremely limited, managed to take a step forward in Singapore with a modified floor.
During this period, James Allison’s technical team worked on an upgrade package introduced at the US GP in COTA. Planned as the final major upgrade of the season, it was intended to put Mercedes in contention for victories.
To some degree, this objective was met. George Russell led a dominant 1-2 for the team in Las Vegas, a venue where the W15 was undisputed as the fastest car.
However, a combination of factors specific to this circuit – including track temperatures and circuit layout – likely contributed to this result. At other venues, the COTA upgrade package were less impactful.
Because of this, assessing where Mercedes finished last season compared to their immediate rivals is difficult.
Huge margin for improvement in 2025
Unlike Ferrari or even McLaren, Toto Wolff’s team have often been deceived by their simulation tools. Theoretical downforce and performance seen in the wind tunnel, for various reasons, has failed to translate on track in previous seasons.
However, technical director James Allison has overseen progress in this department over the last twelve months.
Despite having a few hiccups, Mercedes still found more lap-time over the course of 2024. Prior to the Canadian GP, the first race where victory was within reach for the team, Allison spoke with confidence about the team’s upcoming upgrade package.
His optimism, which was validated by the W15’s performance, was proven well-founded by the team’s strong results in the build-up to the summer break.
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Looking ahead to this season, as reported by Auto Racer, Mercedes are not expected to have a launch event for their 2025 challenger. Only in pre-season testing will the W16 be revealed to the general public.
Because of this, there will be an element of uncertainty surrounding Toto Wolff’s team over the coming weeks. With that said, Mercedes likely prefer things to be this way.
McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull will be the favourites to fight for this year’s Championship. Although the Brackley squad is also part of this group of front-runners, there are obvious question marks to address.
The biggest question is not necessarily about the W16’s raw performance. Mercedes have proven that, in specific conditions, they can be a threat to anyone.
For James Allison’s technical team, the challenge is to have a wider operating window in 2025 – so the team can fight for wins on a consistent basis.
