With the eleventh round of the F1 calendar approaching, the Red Bull Ring becomes the toughest testing ground for Mercedes: Austria could reveal whether the new suspension is a breakthrough or a gamble.
Mercedes is preparing to face one of the most revealing events of the 2025 F1 season: the Austrian Grand Prix could indeed say a lot about the team’s future.
In particular, attention will focus on the functioning of the new rear suspension, introduced with the aim of solving the chronic tyre overheating issues.
After inconsistent results in Canada and Italy, the W16 is ready for its toughest exam at the Red Bull Ring, a short but intense circuit with quick direction changes and ambient temperatures expected to reach nearly 30°C. And for Mercedes, this could be a minefield.
Red Bull Ring: the silent judge of a technical choice
The suspension package first introduced in Imola and then shelved for Monaco and Spain returned in Montreal. There, the relatively “gentle” circuit and the limited number of high-load corners had allowed Mercedes to mask any critical issues.
In Austria, however, it will be a completely different story: the high temperatures and corners like the double left (T6-T7) and the fast T9 will severely test the behaviour of the rear tyres.
Toto Wolff, questioned on the subject, spoke of a “potentially right” development direction, but of a team still seeking confirmation. For Wolff, many factors are at play beyond the new technical additions:
“Compared to Imola and Canada, the track is different, the asphalt is different. There is never a magic solution that transforms the car from, let’s say, a podium contender at best into a winning car.”
“In any case, the more data we have, the more we learn, so it will be a useful weekend,” the Mercedes team principal concluded.
The risk is that if the new setup cannot maintain a constant thermal balance between the surface and the core of the tyre, the graining that hurt the team in 2023 could resurface.
With the same C3-C4-C5 medium compound range being used again this year, the comparison with last season’s data will be unforgiving. And in a championship where every technical detail can determine a podium or a retirement, Austria could be the round where Mercedes understands whether its future is on the rise or on the line.
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