Feb 19

Feb 19 A Wrap Around the Track: Mercedes Edition

Yuktha Muthukumar

The 2025 season was a period of transition for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. Mercedes ended the season at 2nd place in the Constructors Championship, with their performance earning them an overall grade of A-. Throughout the season, they showed steady improvement, strong qualifying results, and effective strategies. Additionally, it was their first full season in over a decade without seven-time WDC Lewis Hamilton. This led George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to lead the new era for this evolving team. Their team performance and strategies reflected a highly competitive and successful campaign that still has room to improve.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli frequently placed inside the top ten, gaining a lot of points for the team and allowing Mercedes to have a strong position in the championship fight until the Singapore Grand Prix. A key factor in Mercedes’ 2025 performance was their car, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W16 E Performance. The W16 brought improved aerodynamic efficiency by increasing airflow under the car and optimizing downforce. The front wing was redesigned to prevent understeer issues in slow corners. Positive changes swept through Mercedes with the reworked front suspension, its influence showing in their results. They no longer faced slow-speed traction issues, the car’s aero balance was sharpened, and the design finally found its footing. In Montreal, George Russell claimed victory, with Kimi Antonelli following closely behind for a podium finish. This showed major improvements compared to the 2024 Canadian GP, where George Russell had pole (first position on the starting grid for a race) but lost the win. The car was not consistently the fastest across all circuits, but it was reliable during long race periods and performed well in high-speed corners thanks to the power unit's ability to maximize efficiency. However, the W16 did occasionally struggle on tight street circuits where mechanical grip and quick tire warm-up were crucial, contributing to some of the team’s weaker weekends (specifically during qualifying sessions).

Mercedes’ overall best race arguably had to be at the Las Vegas Grand Prix where they executed a nearly perfect weekend. They achieved a double podium even after disappointing qualifying results. George Russell started at P4 while his teammate was eliminated in Q1 forcing him to start the race at P17. Despite their starting positions, Russell secured a win, and the rookie’s excellent driving combined with the team’s racecraft strategy brought him all the way up to P3. The Vegas GP truly showed how the Mercedes engineers and drivers perform under pressure to execute extraordinary racecraft.

Their weakest race had to be at the Monaco Grand Prix. The preceding qualifying session resulted in tough starting positions on a circuit where overtaking is extremely difficult due to track width and design. Unfortunately Antonelli hit the barrier during the Q1 on his final lap meaning he could not improve his time due to tire damage. George Russell started P14 and right behind him was his teammate Kimi. The drivers were still able to produce the 2nd and 3rd fastest lap times. However, Russell only gained three positions whereas Antonelli lost three positions, causing him to be the last runner on the track. The weekend highlighted the team’s ongoing struggles with street circuits and tire management.

George Russell

George Russell became Mercedes’ lead driver after Lewis Hamilton left the team. He started off strong by placing 3rd in the Australian Grand Prix, gaining the team a podium in the first race. By the end of the season he held nearly ¾ of the team's overall points, finishing the season with 319 points. He achieved two race wins and seven podium finishes. His clean overtaking tactics and strategy execution lead him to finishing the Driver’s Championship in 4th place, an impressive improvement compared to 6th place in the 2024 season!

His highest finish was at the Singapore and Canadian Grand Prix. The Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most physically and mentally demanding races on the calendar, but Russell managed to lead for the majority of the race and win it. As the British driver took to Instagram, “Back in 2018 I was here with Mercedes watching Lewis take an insane pole and win. I remember seeing him take a very cool pic on the circuit after the win and of myself dreaming of being in F1.” George Russell’s driving this past season has tremendously improved and was a great reflection of his growth.

However, his season still had a few rough patches. At Silverstone, a rain session followed by safety cars left George Russell in 10th place after starting 4th. There was difficulty managing between the slick and hard tires where small decisions cost Russell valuable positions. Working through these challenges, Russell’s consistency and leadership made him the essential piece to Mercedes’ 2025 campaign and allowed him to finish 4th in the World Driver’s Championship.

Kimi Antonelli

Alongside George Russell, Kimi Antonelli experienced an outstanding rookie season. He directly took a step into Formula 1 with a top scoring team which was definitely a challenge. The 19 year old managed to finish the season with 150 points and three podium finishes. He also broke Lewis Hamilton’s record for most points scored by a rookie by 41 points. His debut season achievements don’t end there as he became the youngest driver to set a fastest lap and the youngest to lead a race, both achieved during the Japanese Grand Prix. Kimi was also the youngest driver ever to start on pole in any F1 race overall, which he achieved during the Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying.

He ended 2nd at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which is his highest placing the entire season. That race was a defining moment in his debut season. He started alongside Lando Norris, who eventually won the race. Early in the race, his involvement in a crash with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc at turn 1 led to watchers wondering if he would actually keep his position, but the 19 year old managed to defend against Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the final laps. Under a lot of stress and pressure, he crossed the finish line 0.362 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli contributed to Mercedes’ success with his confidence, strong overtaking abilities, and ability to stay composed under pressure as a young driver.

However, Kimi Antonelli DNFed earlier in the year at the Emilia Romagno Grand Prix, due to a throttle damper assembly failure that led the car’s system to force a shutdown. While he was on medium tires, Kimi reported that he lost power on the straights and the car became increasingly inconsistent before failing completely. This led to a retirement from his home race. These moments underscored his inexperience, but provided the young driver with valuable lessons that will shape his future development.

2025 functioned as a year for the Mercedes team to rebuild and transition. Their season had many ups and downs but they worked to build a structure and foundation that set them up for success. With many refinements to the car and improvements to race strategy, the Mercedes drivers and team proved themselves to have worked hard to result in a fortunate season. Mercedes fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming seasons.