Mercedes’ iconic Silver Star has sunk into a clear technical crisis. After a difficult weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the team called an emergency meeting at their Brackley headquarters to analyze the sharp decline of the W16 racing car. Central to the discussion are issues related to the nervous rear end, unstable car balance, and recent developments. On the table is even the possibility of taking a step back on some of the upgrades introduced recently.
The challenging Spa weekend represented one of the lowest points of the season for Mercedes—not so much in terms of final result, since George Russell managed to secure a solid sixth place given how the weekend unfolded. However, during the Sprint sessions, the full extent of the W16’s problems became evident, only partially alleviated by an impressive qualifying lap by the British driver on Saturday afternoon.
Beyond the final result, it is clear that in recent races Mercedes has suffered a significant setback in competitiveness, even on tracks with lower temperatures that, on paper, should have helped the W16 overcome its thermal management issues with the tires. This confirms that the problem runs much deeper than initially thought.
The disappointing Spa weekend prompted Mercedes to organize an urgent technical meeting at their Brackley base, where the car chassis is designed and built. The meeting aimed to identify the causes and effects of this ongoing crisis, with input from both drivers, as Mercedes finds itself trapped in a kind of performance black hole that drags the team further down weekend after weekend.
After a promising start to the season, during which Mercedes established itself as one of the main challengers to Red Bull alongside McLaren—holding the position of second-strongest team in the Constructors’ Championship for a long stretch and enabling George Russell to reach the podium four times in the first six races—the situation has now deteriorated significantly.
Even the strong result in Canada, where the team secured a victory and a third place on a circuit that suited the strengths of the W16 with track temperatures reaching 50°C, did not reverse the downward trend. The overall performance has declined, culminating in a lackluster showing at Spa that led to this internal confrontation. The fundamental problem is that, aside from the Montreal highlight, Mercedes is increasingly unable to compete effectively against Ferrari and Red Bull.
“The performance was very disappointing. We really need to understand what is happening and why we have taken such a big step backward. These conditions should theoretically have been ideal for us and for our car. Instead, once again, it was our worst performance of the season. We will have a long meeting this week to try and figure things out,” George Russell explained after the Spa race, where he was forced to watch Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc from a distance.
The main issue identified by the team concerns the lack of stability in the rear end when entering corners, a factor causing difficulties for both drivers and especially for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes’ rookie driver in his first Formula 1 season. For obvious reasons, Antonelli does not yet have the same experience and sensitivity behind the wheel as his teammate, who is well acquainted with these cars.
Mercedes suspects that some of the upgrades introduced in recent Grands Prix may have unintentionally worsened the car’s balance, moving it away from an effective operating window. This is similar to what happened in recent years at Aston Martin, where attempts to increase aerodynamic downforce and improve performance resulted in a progressively unbalanced and more difficult car for drivers to handle.
This instability is particularly evident in high-speed corners, which had previously been one of Mercedes’ strengths, as shown in qualifying sessions at Jeddah and Imola, where the W16 had been competitive in the battle for pole position. Although the car was faster over a single lap, this did not mean it had sufficient downforce, especially in very high-speed sections.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director, explained that the team is trying to pinpoint which modification triggered this decline in performance: “At the start of the year, we had a car that worked well on almost all circuits. In general, we were fighting for the front row, if not pole position.”
“It’s likely that some changes made to the car caused us to lose ground, and we need to return to a more stable baseline where everything works more smoothly,” the British engineer added. This implies making a step back, similar to what happened last year when a new floor introduced before the summer break was rejected because it did not deliver the expected performance gains.
The fundamental problem is that the W16 has now become nervous, unstable, and often unbalanced. One of the elements under scrutiny is the modification to the front wing required by the FIA technical directive starting from the Spanish Grand Prix. That particular wing design was meant to better balance the car in fast corners, reducing the instability experienced at the rear on corner entry.
George Russell hinted that this change could have had broader negative consequences on the car’s overall balance: “We took a different direction after that race to address the front wing modifications required, and clearly since then we have taken a huge step backward,” he explained.
“It might be enough to return to something similar to what we used at the beginning of the year. Obviously, we can’t go back on the front wing itself, but regarding the rest of the setup, I’m not sure. It’s really strange how much we’ve regressed,” the British driver added. It’s important to remember that Mercedes was one of the teams that invested heavily in that type of flexible front wing technology.
“It’s likely that some changes to the car caused us to lose ground, and we need to return to a more stable baseline where everything works more smoothly,” he reiterated. This means making a step back, as happened last year when a new floor was scrapped near the summer break due to lack of expected performance improvements.
The core issue remains that the W16 has become nervous, unstable, and often unbalanced. Among the factors under investigation is the front wing modification imposed by the FIA technical directive from the Spanish Grand Prix onward. This wing type was intended to better balance the car in high-speed sections, reducing instability at the rear on corner entry.
George Russell suggested this change might have had a wider negative effect on the overall car balance: “We took a different approach after that race to address the front wing modifications, and since then, we have clearly regressed significantly.”
“Maybe going back to something closer to the setup from earlier in the year could help. Of course, the front wing itself can’t be changed back, but as for the rest of the setup, it’s unclear. It’s very strange how much we have fallen off,” the driver concluded. It is worth noting that Mercedes was one of the teams most invested in that particular flexible front wing concept.
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