“Don’t have the answer” fear surrounding Mercedes W16 for F1 2025

There is still concern that Mercedes have not fully tackled the problems that blighted the past three years, it has been claimed.

Mercedes will launch the W16 for the 2025 F1 season, their first since Lewis Hamilton’s exit.

Although the season will be dominated by their new post-Hamilton era, the key topic will be whether Mercedes have understood what went wrong since 2021.

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“I wouldn’t be confident to say that they understand what’s going on,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.

“For several seasons they have been going around in circles, trying to get their heads around these regulations, and how exactly to get the best out of these cars.

“McLaren are an obvious example - we’ve seen them go from the back of the field to understanding their car, and how it works, and developing themselves to the front.

“Mercedes haven’t been able to do that. We’ve seen fluctuations for two seasons."

Las Vegas proof of Mercedes' woes

“Sometimes they are strong, they are the team to beat, but they don’t seem to understand why.

“I think back to Las Vegas last year - George Russell dominated the race weekend, Lewis Hamilton came second despite starting lower on the grid. It showed how much performance they had on that weekend.

“But we didn’t see that on a week-by-week basis. It was helped by cooler track temperatures which was one of the rare strengths of their car.

“Finding an answer? We’re not at that point yet. Toto Wolff says they are still expecting to see fluctuations.

“That doesn’t give off a great impression that they have got on top, and that they understand how to make their car a more consistent front-runner.

“I don’t think they have the answer, at the moment. That’s clear from Toto staying quiet about talking up their chances.

“I am not confident that they fully know what their issues are.”

Three-time F1 grand prix winner Russell will become Mercedes’ senior driver in Hamilton’s absence this year.

Team boss Wolff made the bold decision to select teenage rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement.

How the talented Antonelli fares in his first season in F1 will remain a hot topic of debate all year.