Mercedes has taken the wraps off the W16’s livery in a grand ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, ahead of the car’s official launch in Bahrain. The forthcoming F1 2025 season will see the W16, as per George Russell, undergoing “significant changes” in comparison to its predecessors. The British driver pointed out that the team has been more meticulous than ever in its modifications.
Russell shed light on the fact that while the alterations in previous seasons did address certain problems, they inadvertently led to new ones. The focus of Mercedes’ development this year has been to avoid the pitfall of creating fresh issues during the winter period.
Despite the Silver Arrows’ relatively disappointing outing in 2023, which saw them finish fourth behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull, the team bounced back with four wins last season. The intense competition during the latter part of the last season suggests that this season could witness a nail-biting contest with the new Mercedes contender.
Russell, while speaking to members of the press, including PlanetF1.com, commented, “Every year we’ve uncovered a problem, we’ve solved it, and it’s created a new one. This year, we have been much more disciplined with every change that we’ve made, and have been more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator running. We want to ensure we’re not going to fall into a new trap. So far, it’s a reasonable step.”
Mercedes is slated to run the W16 for the first time before the pre-season testing in Bahrain. This will include a filming day around the Sakhir International Circuit and three days of testing, which will aid the team in gearing up for the new season.
Russell believes that the performance of a new car can be assessed quite quickly. He stated, “I think within five laps, you know if you’re in for a good season or not. In the last couple of years, we knew within the first five laps that we wouldn’t be fighting for the championship, at least not at the beginning of the season.”
Having undergone a significant restructure in 2023, which included the comeback of James Allison as the technical director, the team is optimistic about the upcoming season. Russell concluded by saying, “If we bring the performance that we expect, it should be a good step forward. There are never guarantees, but I’m optimistic that we can have a decent season.”
