It has been clear that Mercedes have struggled with the current Formula 1 regulations, and the issues they have had since 2022 held them down mightily. From consistently finishing first to falling behind the eventual champions to now dropping to P4 in the constructor standings last year, their downfall has led people to question their direction.
Some radical ideas from the past, such as the sidepod-less design from 2022, have mostly been eradicated. However, Mercedes are going all-in with their design for the W16, their car for the 2025 season.
The W16 has a new aerodynamic surface on every part of the car compared to the W15. Changes to the front suspension and a smaller cooling inlet have also been confirmed, with the latter being the opposite of what many teams have done for the coming season.
With 2025 being the final year of the current regulations before a major overhaul next season, Mercedes wanted to refine as much as they could to maximize performance.
Mercedes' “all-in” concept could backfire
This would not be the first time that Mercedes have looked to implement a design that differs from almost every team on the grid. But in the current era of regulations, it has not worked out for them. Despite the amount of research and development they have performed in recent months, their data could be indicating the opposite of the product they get on track.
Preseason testing this week will give lots of insight into the W16’s performance, but not all of it. The Mercedes cars have proven to perform based on particular conditions, hence why we saw them qualify and finish near the top a few times last season, but also in P7 and P8 on several other occasions.
The team’s history with these regulations should give fans some hope for this season, but persistent issues regardless of their concept in the recent past will continue to give way to significant worries as well. Just like last season, the team are opting for a lot of testing on hard tires and could do a lot of race simulations in Bahrain.
Nevertheless, Mercedes are looking to rebound heavily in 2025 after falling behind McLaren and Ferrari and remaining behind Max Verstappen in 2024. The loss of Lewis Hamilton will not help either, but realistically, the Silver Arrows should be eyeing the constructor championship with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, with hopes of lifting the trophy for the first time since 2021.