The Mexico City Grand Prix left Mercedes in a familiar position: fighting hard, but still just shy of the podium as they capitalized on setbacks suffered by their top rivals. Finishing P4 and P5, the team earned solid points, yet it’s clear the Silver Arrows remain a step behind the front-runners.
Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez found themselves out of contention early after disappointing starts at the back of the grid. Max Verstappen’s penalties and tire struggles offered a further boost for Mercedes, but even with these breaks, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell acknowledged that they didn’t have the pace to take on the front pack.
Hamilton summed up the team’s weekend in the Mercedes post-race report, explaining, “We ultimately moved forward and brought home good points today. We weren’t looking very racy in the first stint. I was dealing with a lot of understeer until we adjusted the balance at our second stop, which helped a lot. But honestly, even if we’d had that speed earlier, we still wouldn’t have challenged those ahead.”
The seven-time world champion and his teammate, Russell, found themselves on slightly different setups, as Russell ran an older-spec W15 following crashes in Austin and during practice in Mexico. For Mercedes, it was a crucial opportunity to gather data and compare specifications. Hamilton commented, “We’ve gathered a lot of information across both specifications. We can now analyze that and hopefully get the car in a slightly better spot for Interlagos and take the fight to Ferrari and McLaren.”
Russell encountered an additional challenge during the race after picking up front-wing damage during an overtake. “The damage cost me a couple of tenths each lap, which was a shame. But even without it, I don’t think we had podium pace today,” Russell admitted. “Still, P4 and P5 were probably the best we could manage as a team. It’s clear Ferrari and McLaren have made huge strides, so we’re focused on closing that gap.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, provided his own perspective on the performance, acknowledging that the weekend highlighted Mercedes’ weaknesses on high-traction circuits. “Overall, P4 and P5 is likely where we are in terms of pace right now,” Wolff stated. “On circuits demanding traction, we’re not able to compete at the very front. But we’re working to improve performance for next season, and these final races are critical for testing different things and gaining momentum for 2025.”
Wolff also pointed out Russell’s performance despite the damage he carried for over 30 laps, noting, “George was impacted by the front-wing damage but still maintained decent pace, especially compared to Verstappen behind him. And Lewis, once in free air, managed solid speed on the hard compound, comparable to the leaders.”
Looking ahead to the Brazilian Grand Prix, Wolff and Mercedes are gearing up to finish the triple-header strong. With just a handful of races left, Mercedes is intent on using every lap to refine their machine and prepare for a championship comeback in 2025.
