Overall, in 2024, Mercedes ranked as the fourth-best team and failed to match the pace of rivals Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. A mid-season turnaround saw the German team win three out of four races before the summer break, only to experience another decline when the season resumed at the end of August.
Despite George Russell’s return to victory in the third-to-last race of the season in Las Vegas, James Allison did not evaluate Mercedes’ 2024 campaign positively.
“It was a real rollercoaster of extreme disappointment at the start of the year, followed by a sense of recovery, then some malaise, and other flashes of brilliance,” Allison said in the Mercedes Race Debrief. “The general feeling within the team is that it was a missed opportunity. We didn’t achieve the goals we set out to. Watching others win while we’re on the sidelines is no fun at all.”
Looking Ahead
Mercedes finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with 468 points, 121 points behind Red Bull, who placed third. Moreover, the car’s inconsistent performance was a constant source of frustration, prompting Mercedes to run an experimental setup on George Russell’s W15 during the final race of the season in their ongoing search for answers.
“It’s so difficult to get everything right,” James Allison continued. “Those who managed to do it deserved it, and you can only take your hat off to them because they earned it. It just fills you with the desire to experience that success yourself, for the team.”
To achieve this, Mercedes must address its weaknesses in hotter conditions. The team’s victory in Las Vegas came under cooler temperatures, which favored their car’s performance.
After the win in Sin City, Toto Wolff told the media that the team needs to find balance. “We were strong at Silverstone, we were strong at Spa, and then here in Las Vegas,” said the Austrian. “I think the important thing is keeping the car in its optimal position and the tires in their optimal window. Finding that balance for next year will be crucial.”
If Mercedes can find the balance it lacked in 2024, the Brackley-based team would have all the tools necessary to join the fray in 2025, a season that promises to be highly competitive.
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