George Russell is among the most pessimistic about the possibility of closing the gap to McLaren, judging their advantage to be greater than what dominant Red Bull had in 2023, when the world champions could already focus entirely on the 2026 project. However, Simone Resta, Mercedes’ deputy technical director, has a different view. The Italian engineer believes in a comeback, as the team now has a stronger and more stable baseline compared to last year.
Positive feedback on the W16
Simone Resta assessed the first weeks of the new car’s life, considering it a step forward in several areas: “We worked hard over the winter, trying to identify the limitations and weaknesses of last year’s car and implement changes to ensure a more consistent platform across different environmental and track conditions. We believe we have succeeded. Both in testing and in Australia, both drivers said the car behaves better.”
One of the W15’s weaknesses in 2024 was its rotation in slow, consecutive corners, which became evident in technical sections like the second sector in Brazil. Even at the W16’s launch, James Allison had emphasized the goal of improving agility in slow corners: “Our main objective was to mitigate the W15’s reluctance to turn into slow corners, as well as to address the imbalance in tire temperatures that made the car inconsistent from session to session.”
Chronic rear tire overheating was another weakness of the car, which is why it performed better in cold conditions, winning in places like Silverstone and Las Vegas but struggling in the heat. Because of this, judgments on the W16 remained uncertain after pre-season testing in Bahrain, held in unusually cold conditions with temperatures often below 20°C. The rain in Australia on Sunday created a similar scenario, but in Melbourne, George Russell’s Mercedes was able to challenge Ferrari and Red Bull in qualifying even with 40°C track temperatures, confirming that the car is finally less sensitive to external conditions.
The comeback mission
Despite the progress, McLaren remains ahead, but Simone Resta believes in the possibility of closing the gap: “The gap is big; they are clearly in front. After testing, we thought we would be in the fight for second place along with Red Bull and Ferrari. We will push as hard as possible to close that gap. We must remember that last year, Red Bull was far ahead of everyone with an even bigger advantage than McLaren has now, yet in the end, McLaren managed to close the gap and even surpass them. Everything is possible, and we want to try.”
Red Bull’s struggles last season made their rivals’ comeback possible. The updates introduced on the RB20 gradually compromised its drivability, eventually reaching a level that even Max Verstappen struggled with. Since 2022, ground-effect Formula 1 cars have shown that increasing downforce often leads to issues with balance, operating window size, and predictability.
At present, it seems unlikely that McLaren will suffer a collapse similar to Red Bull’s in 2024, especially since their development packages over the past two years have been free of major side effects. However, Norris has already admitted he does not like the MCL39’s driving characteristics, particularly under braking and corner entry. If McLaren’s drivers were to struggle further with the car’s handling, then a comeback from the competition could become possible.
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