After a disappointing run in the last three Grands Prix, Mercedes Technical Director James Allison held an in-depth review with the team to regain the competitiveness that now seems to have vanished. Recent developments have made the black and silver arrow more challenging to handle, and ongoing market rumors have not helped ease the drivers’ minds. The hope is that the situation will improve starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The victory in Montreal turned out to be misleading. Almost ironically, right after Mercedes’ first and only win of the 2025 season, the team entered a difficult phase. In the last three races, Mercedes has scored fewer points than Sauber—far behind not only McLaren’s performance but also Ferrari’s and Red Bull’s. This is a far cry from the summer of 2024, which was the best period the team experienced in the ground effect era, though even then it was a brief surge (three wins in four races) without sustained momentum. Still, last season remains an uncomfortable benchmark for the 2025 Mercedes campaign.
The performance gap exposed at the Spa-Francorchamps weekend triggered a significant alarm within the Mercedes team. Monday’s debrief at the Brackley headquarters was longer than usual and involved all the top management, including both drivers. “We find ourselves in a situation where all our direct rivals seem to have made progress,” explained Technical Director James Allison. “We need to understand whether there has really been a sudden leap forward from the competition or if we have made mistakes. It’s not just about lap times, but also about what our drivers report. Both describe a car suffering from instability at high speeds, both under braking and in corners.”
At the start of the season, the Mercedes W16 had a good operating window, and setup was not a major issue for the engineers, including qualifying setups. “We weren’t able to make life difficult for McLaren,” admitted Allison, “but we were competitive enough in the championship, and everything was much easier to manage than it is today.” When the first upgrades started arriving, however, the situation became more complicated. The quest for performance came at the expense of drivability, triggering a backward spiral.
Suspicion has focused on the rear suspension introduced at the Imola weekend and later used in Montreal—a modification intended to address the rear tire overheating issue. However, the Canadian success ended up leading the engineers astray.
Within the paddock, some have also noted that Mercedes’ decline coincided with the introduction of new regulations regarding front wing flexibility, a change that forced all teams to rethink their car balance. George Russell openly confirmed this assessment. This led to a risky approach on setup, as seen at Spa, hoping to find a winning formula, but this is not the approach expected from a team of Mercedes’ stature.
During a technically challenging period, an inconsistent policy also emerged concerning the driver market. It is undeniable that George Russell is delivering his best season since entering Formula 1. During the first half of 2025, he has arguably been the most consistent driver overall. Yet, George remains without a contract guaranteeing him a seat for the next season. While a renewal is expected, the uncertainty has kept him on edge for months. Toto Wolff has once again (for the second time in three years) been tempted by the prospect of having Max Verstappen in the team.
Just as happened two years ago, the four-time World Champion will remain where he is, thanking Mercedes for providing leverage to secure even more favorable terms in his Red Bull contract. Back in 2014, during his first year in single-seaters in the European Formula 3 Championship, Jos Verstappen orchestrated a bidding war between Helmut Marko and Toto Wolff, which resulted in Red Bull offering Max the only possible path: a direct debut in Formula 1. In 2023, the Mercedes alternative helped Max assert himself in the internal team battle at Red Bull early in the season. Two years later, the possibility of a switch to Brackley triggered the final push that led to Christian Horner’s exit.
But has Max Verstappen ever seriously considered moving to Mercedes, or is he simply using this option as leverage to get what he wants at Red Bull? So far, this situation has only made George Russell’s early summer far less pleasant, especially at a time when he arguably deserved a contract renewal without question. George will be with the Mercedes team in 2026, a season when he is expected to be a genuine contender for the World Championship title.
If that happens, there will be great applause and pats on the back, with Mercedes at the forefront claiming they have always believed in their driver since his earliest years in junior formulas. If the scenario changes to a point where it is no longer attractive for Verstappen, then the team will have to hope that Russell does not decide to seek opportunities elsewhere.
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