By James Broughton, February 24, 2025
If there is one flagship team on the current F1 grid that needs to raise its game in the ground-effect era, it is Mercedes. The team has struggled to put its best foot forward since 2022, enduring a painful period for a team of winners—one spent as much scratching their heads as working in the wind tunnel, trying to piece together the jigsaw puzzle that is ground effect.
Red Bull got it right from the start, leaving the competition trailing in a cloud of dust. By 2024, McLaren had caught up and even outmanoeuvred them.
As for Mercedes, when the dust settled, still scratching their heads, the team again looked dazed and confused. Yet, they managed to rally, securing a handful of wins—a meagre return for a once-dominant but now crestfallen outfit. But this is Formula One: success is fleeting, constantly recycled as one team or another discovers the next winning formula. But enough of the preamble.
I have a short attention span when it comes to new-season F1 car launches—they’ve essentially become livery and sponsorship reveals unless a major rule change ushers in a new era. However, looking at the new Mercedes W16, I can’t help but feel the team has entered a fresh chapter. It’s a complete departure from last season’s hybrid solution—an awkward fusion of two opposing concepts aimed at delivering race wins.
For 2025, it appears Mercedes has fully embraced the Red Bull philosophy, particularly in adopting their side-pod and ground-effect floor philosophy. If you can’t beat them, join them.
The W16 will be piloted by George Russell and 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli, who steps in to replace Lewis Hamilton. Talk about filling big shoes. Meanwhile, F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes—not as a number two driver, but as a number three, taking on the role of tester, advisor, and brand ambassador.
Speaking at the launch Mercedes Team Principal stated:
“We open an exciting new era in the story of our team and Mercedes-AMG motorsport in 2025. We are building on the incredible legacy of our heritage, and we can’t wait to go racing.
“Everyone at the team, in Brackley and Brixworth, has been hard at work over the winter. Last season was incredibly competitive on the track and, whilst we took several wins, we are all focused on challenging for victories more consistently. We have made gains in the off-season, but we will only know where we stand come the first race in Australia.”
The W16, as revealed at launch, will undergo significant upgrades before the season’s first race in Australia on March 14.
