Team Launches Mercedes F1 W16 for 2025 Season

Toto adds: “Everyone at the team, in Brackley and Brixworth, has been hard at work over the winter. Last season was incredibly competitive on the track and, whilst we took several wins, we are all focused on challenging for victories more consistently. “We have made gains in the off-season, but we will only know where we stand come the first race in Australia,” he continues.

“We have an exciting line-up to help us achieve our objectives. Both drivers have progressed through our junior programme and that is a vindication of our commitment to both supporting and developing talent.

“George has proven that he is one of the very best drivers on the grid, capable of competing for the Drivers’ Championship if we can give him a car capable of doing so. “As the senior driver, he will help lead the team forward and support Kimi in his development.

“Kimi has all the necessary talent to achieve great things at the pinnacle of the sport, but this is a rookie season and there will inevitably be ups and downs. We’re looking forward to that journey together though and helping him develop over the course of the year,” Toto says.

New Line-Up

“I feel like last year was my strongest in F1,” says George. “This coming season will be my seventh in the sport, and fourth with the works Mercedes team, and I’m working hard to improve year-on-year. “As a team, we are incredibly motivated to improve on last season. There is a great energy within the factories at Brackley and Brixworth so I’m eager to take to the track.

“It’s also exciting having a new team-mate in Kimi this year. He’s incredibly quick and I think we will make a great partnership. Naturally, there is a lot for him to learn in his first season but I’m looking forward to helping him do that and working together to help push the team forward,” he continues.

Kimi has risen through the junior ranks quickly. Whilst he enters F1 at 18 years old, his youth has not stopped him from impressing at each rung on the single-seater ladder, with titles in F4, Formula Regional, and race wins in F2 last year.

“I’m excited to make my debut in F1 this year,” says the Italian. “It is a great opportunity, and I am very thankful to everyone at Mercedes for the faith and trust they’ve placed in me. I’ve been working really hard over the winter to be as ready as I can possibly be and now, I can’t wait to get started.

“My focus is on continuing to learn, being consistent, and doing the best job I can for the team. I’m looking forward to working with George; we’re already gelling well and it’s great to have the support of someone who has come through the junior programme too. “He is an incredibly strong driver and together I think we will make a great duo,” Kimi continues.

George and Kimi are ably backed up by Third Driver Valtteri Bottas and Reserve Driver Fred Vesti. 10-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri returns to the team having been part of five Constructors’ Championships for the Silver Arrows from 2017 to 2021, whilst Fred continues in his role from last year.

Valtteri said: “I couldn’t be happier to be back with Mercedes. It feels like I’m home. It’s been great to catch up with former colleagues and I’m really looking forward to helping the team both on and off the track. “As Third Driver, I will be at every Grand Prix providing support and that extra set of eyes. I will also be at the factory helping develop the car in the simulator too. I can’t wait to get started.”

Fred added: “It’s great to return for another year as Reserve Driver. I’ve been a part of the Mercedes team for several years now and it really is my family. “I’m looking forward to working with George, Kimi, Valtteri, and the wider team to help develop the car and push the team forward.”

Chassis and PU

The 2025 season marks the fourth season of the current chassis regulations, and the 12^th of the existing Power Unit regulations. For 2026, a major opportunity shines on the horizon.

“Being the fourth year of these regulations on the chassis side, the cars are in the more mature phase. Big gains in lap time are harder to come by but we’ve been focused on making improvements in the areas that held us back last year,” explains Technical Director, James Allison.

“Our primary focus has been on dialling out the W15’s slight reluctance to turn in slow corners, along with the imbalance in tyre temperatures that made the car inconsistent from session to session,” he continues.

“That focus has led to changes to nearly every visible aerodynamic surface, new front suspension, and further changes under the skin of the W16 to remedy some of the more challenging characteristics of its predecessor.” James adds: “We are pleased with our progress over the winter and we’re looking forward to finding out where we stack up against everyone else.”

Power Unit development meanwhile remains frozen, but this doesn’t mean that work stops, as power unit boss Hywel Thomas, Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains explains: “We have been looking at reliability updates, and some calibration upgrades, to deliver robustness, squeeze the last little bits of performance out of the Power Unit and give ourselves the best opportunity this season. We’ve made good progress and hopefully that can add performance on track.”

With a major reset in the regulations for next year, 2025 acts as the swansong for the current generation of Power Units. “It’s definitely the end of an era,” explains Hywel. “The success we have achieved since 2014 was only possible through the hard work of a huge group of talented people. It makes you proud to have been a part of that team. We would love to end such an incredible chapter by adding to our success as the Mercedes works team, and everyone is focused on doing that.”

The size of the rules change for 2026 means that work on the next generation Power Unit has been ongoing at Brixworth for several years. Whilst at Brackley, the team is now free to begin work on developing next year’s car. That means that 2025 will be a fine balancing act.

“It’s one of the largest regulation changes in the sport’s history,” says James Allison. “Every team must decide where to spend their resource to both compete on track this year and set themselves up for 2026 and beyond. We’re excited for that challenge and working hand-in-hand between Brackley and Brixworth to be as competitive as we can be this year and build for success next year.”

Hywel Thomas adds: “The 2026 regulation change is a big challenge but one that we’re enjoying. It’s an exciting evolution, particularly the work on sustainable fuels. Our partnership with PETRONAS, and their expertise, is key for that area. It’s a huge project and we’re working hard to maximise the opportunity in front of us.”

Expectations

“It is going to be a highly competitive season,” concludes Toto. “We saw last year just how close the field was. You couldn’t say race-to-race who would be at the front, and I expect this year to be even closer. We will have to be at our very best if we want to challenge for championships this season.”

“It will be a fiercely fought championship from the off,” echoes James Allison. “At this stage of the regulations, the cars are converging in terms of performance. There will be multiple winners, and it’s possible that we will see even more teams than the four that scored victories last year taking to the top step of the podium.”

“Given where we are in this set of regulations, lap time gains are small,” continues Hywel. “There is still the opportunity to find little bits and that can be the difference come Saturday and Sunday. You could see last year, particularly in qualifying, just how close some of the teams were at the front. “Finding those 10 or 20 milliseconds is crucial; it can be the difference between pole or the second or third row. We will continue chasing those gains and hopefully be in the fight for the championships come Abu Dhabi.”