After several years of drastic performance fluctuations, Mercedes have found a very steady baseline with the W16.
George Russell took his fourth podium of 2025 in Miami, maintaining his perfect record of top 5 finishes this season.
Kimi Antonelli brought home more good points for Mercedes, albeit after taking a step back between qualifying and race day.
Whilst pleased with the team’s efficiency, Toto Wolff is hopeful of adding more performance.
Mercedes optimise their weekend, await first 2025 upgrades
Much like McLaren, the Silver Arrows are yet to bring any significant upgrades in 2025.
Of the front-runners, only Ferrari and Red Bull have managed to fit new components in the opening six rounds.
In this context, Mercedes can be satisfied they have not lost any significant ground, having expended relatively fewer resources.
Still, a step forward is necessary to give Russell and Antonelli the tools to fight for wins consistently.
Conscious of this, team principal Toto Wolff has analysed the W16’s position:
“George drove a great race today, and did everything he needed to do to claim third.
“It was another mature performance where he got everything out of the car that was there.
“Obviously, the gap to the McLaren’s was large…
“That is disappointing, but we are working hard to bring updates that will hopefully close that deficit.”
Wolff acknowledges that at specific circuits, the W16 is capable of giving McLaren some headaches – as seen in China and Bahrain.
In general terms, though, the papaya squad still enjoy a notable advantage:
“We’ve seen these performance gaps fluctuate over these first six races.
“And some weekends other teams get right in the mix at the front, but they are the team to beat right now.”
The good news for Mercedes is that, though still experiencing some variations at different circuits, the W16 is very consistent.
Should they choose to allocate further resources to 2026, there will be a strong foundation to do so.
Mercedes keep 2026 in mind
As previously reported by LWOS, Mercedes are expected to produce the best engine for 2026.
The Brackley-based outfit know better than most about the implications of hitting the ground running when new regulations arrive.
Beyond just engine development, Mercedes are likely to switch their focus to next year earlier than Red Bull or McLaren.
With two young drivers that understand the importance of 2026, there is no pressure for the team to unnecessarily waste resources on this year’s car.
Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli know what the team’s medium and long-term priorities are.
Still, this is not to say Mercedes will completely abandon the W16.
At least one upgrade package is on the way, which should arrive just before the Spanish GP technical directive.
This heavily anticipated weekend could shake up the pecking order – which could influence if top teams invest further in 2025.
Given the current gap to McLaren in the standings, Toto Wolff’s team would need a significant incentive to delay or otherwise compromise 2026.
Because of this, it remains to be seen to what extent Mercedes will work to extract more performance from the W16.
The feeling across the paddock is that McLaren can be caught.
Of course, the question is if this can be accomplished without hurting future projects.
