Mercedes in “slightly odd situation” ahead of F1 2025: “They’re not idiots”
“They’re not idiots. But for whatever reason, they haven’t got a handle of this set of regulations.”
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes Mercedes are in a “slightly odd situation” heading into the 2025 season.
Mercedes have failed to fight consistently for race wins since the ground effect rules were introduced at the start of 2022.
Last year, Mercedes endured an inconsistent level of performance.
They dominated the Las Vegas Grand Prix as George Russell dominated from the front, but they were the fourth-fastest team for much of the season.
With the rules remaining stable over the winter, it remains to be seen whether Mercedes can finally get on top of the rules.
Chandhok admitted that Mercedes were one of the biggest disappointments of last year.
Reflecting on their performance, Chandhok said on the Evo India podcast: “That’s been one of the frustrations to be honest. To be honest, they were the big disappointment of 2024.
“I think it was Canada where we thought they had made a big step forward as George qualified well, but it never happened. We went to Vegas, it’s freezing cold and all of a sudden they’re just smashing the opposition. George could have won that race by 30 seconds if he wanted to. It’s just confusing.
“They’re confused. That’s the only thing they kept saying after the race. They had no idea why they had won it. Listen, the core people who won those seven world championships in a row are still there. They’re not idiots. But for whatever reason, they haven’t got a handle of this set of regulations.”
Mercedes’ dilemma for 2025
Mercedes have a major dilemma in 2025.
With the new rules coming next year - entirely new engines and chassis design - some teams might give up on 2025 early to focus on the new rules.
Mercedes could be one of those teams, given their recent struggles.
Chandhok added: “They’re in a slightly odd situation. They’re at a fork in the road. How much do you focus on 2025 and try to get some results out of it?
“Or do you just say let’s accept we’ve not got on top of these rules and get on to 2026 - fully focus on that.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
