The “season” of presentations is not over yet. On Monday, Mercedes lifted the veil on the W16, the latest creation from Brackley, with which the German manufacturer hopes not just to settle for occasional race wins but to fight for something more substantial.
In recent weeks, George Russell stated that Mercedes would not fall into the same traps again with the W16 under this set of ground-effect car regulations, but ultimately, the track will determine whether the Brackley engineers have won this challenge.
Speaking of the track, tomorrow the new car will complete its first kilometers during a now-traditional filming day, allowing the engineers to check the reliability of the project and, most importantly, begin collecting initial data on a car that presents several novelties compared to its predecessor. Tomorrow will also be the first real opportunity to see the W16 in action, as Mercedes has often shown different details in renderings compared to the actual car in past years.
While waiting to see it on track, project technical director James Allison explained the development goals of the new car, which address the same issues encountered last season—performance in slow-speed sections and tire management.
The W15 could be described as a true “diva,” a car that was often too unpredictable for the drivers, leading to mistakes in certain situations. This behavior stemmed from specific aerodynamic choices, which at times made the car inconsistent—not just in terms of pure performance but also in handling.
Additionally, the need to maintain a very stiff and low setup to generate downforce from the floor often made the W15 less effective in slow-speed sections—not so much in tight corners, but in sequences of turns where a more agile car is required. One of the major goals set for the W16’s development was precisely to make it more responsive in low-speed sections.
“Being the fourth year under these regulations, cars are at a more mature stage. It is harder to find large gains in lap time, but we have focused on improvements in areas that held us back last year,” explained technical director James Allison, who also mentioned efforts to expand the car’s operating window.
“Our main objective was to eliminate the W15’s slight reluctance to turn into slow corners, along with the imbalance in tire temperatures that made the car inconsistent from session to session.”
Beyond its extremely stiff setup, another major issue with the 2024 car was tire management, particularly in terms of consistency. The W15 was highly sensitive to changes in ambient temperature or track conditions, making its performance rather unpredictable.
Furthermore, while the 2024 car was relatively quick in bringing the tires up to temperature for a single flying lap, it suffered from excessive rear tire wear over race stints—an issue Mercedes hopes to have mitigated with the W16.
All these changes led to modifications in the car’s aerodynamic surfaces, revised front suspension, and further adjustments beneath the W16’s bodywork to address some of the most challenging characteristics of its predecessor. “We are pleased with the progress made over the winter and look forward to seeing where we stand compared to the competition,” James Allison added.
“It will be a highly competitive championship from the start. At this stage of the regulations, cars are converging in performance. There will be more race winners, and it is possible that even more teams than the four that won last year will stand on the top step of the podium.”
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