George Russell set an identical time to Max Verstappen to go 4th in qualifying, putting himself on the second row for the Spanish GP.
The British driver returns to the top five, where he finished every session until the W16’s Imola updates.
Whilst Mercedes will be satisfied with their recovery after two difficult races in Imola and Monaco, the McLaren drivers are still comfortably ahead.
Even with the latest technical directive, victories will be a tall order for the Silver Arrows.
Arguably of greater importance is that Mercedes are still sensitive to track temperature – which could prove a limiting factor on Sunday.
Mercedes a few steps behind McLaren in qualifying
For most of the season, Toto Wolff’s team were among the most consistent in F1.
Aside from standout moments, such as Kimi Antonelli goes fastest in the Miami Sprint shootout, the W16 contended for the podium places – leaving Red Bull and McLaren to fight for wins.
This was seen as a good foundation for Mercedes, who were optimistic of a step forward in Imola.
Of course, this progress did not transpire – with the German constructor instead going backwards at the Italian circuit.
So far in Barcelona, the W16 has returned to its normal form.
Whilst capable of giving Red Bull and McLaren headaches, Mercedes are still down on raw performance.
George Russell joked after Friday Practice about the flexi-wing directive’s seemingly negligible impact on McLaren.
Whilst Christian Horner’s team were the most vocal about thee changes potentially hurting the MCL39, the papaya team’s advantage is also bad news for Mercedes.
The Brackley-based outfit, whose 2026 engine is expected to be very strong, seemed to have miss their chance to put themselves in title contention.
Podium finishes and potentially a few race wins will be possible – but Mercedes must direct their resources to the new regulations if they want to fight for a title.
Toto Wolff raises race day concerns
Part of the issue for the Silver Arrows in 2025, rather than their pace, is the re-emergence of old issues.
A consistent problem in previous years has been the inconsistency of the Brackley team’s F1 challengers.
Circuit layout, wind intensity and track temperatures were often game-changers for Mercedes in previous years with these regulations.
In the opening rounds, many of these limitations appeared to be eliminated – or at least strongly mitigated.
This weekend in Barcelona, however, the W16 has again proven sensitive to changes in temperature.
On race day, this could become extremely decisive – as Toto Wolff explained on Saturday evening:
“We were back to being at the competitive end of the grid today which was encouraging.
“Obviously, it is a bit painful to see George starting P4 when he could have been P3 – having set the same lap time as Max.
“We know that race pace is what matters around here, rather than your specific starting position. So we are looking ahead to tomorrow now.
“If the temperatures stay as they were today, it is going to be a difficult afternoon for everyone tomorrow.
“Preserving the tyres will be a struggle, as we have seen in previous hot races. Not only this year, but around this circuit before.”
Main photo: Jiri Krenek (via Mercedes media gallery)
