“Speculation, some people think” that Mercedes running “fake” trick on W16

Mercedes have been accused of running a “fake” component on their F1 2025 car to confuse their rivals.

The classic trick was spotted during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Testing is always a battleground of innovation and trickery where Mercedes have historically used their brainpower to befuddle other teams.

'People think' Mercedes using 'fake' component

F1 tech expert Sam Collins noticed a part of their car which does not do what it claims to do.

“Note the hump underneath the mechanic’s hand where you can see George Russell’s driver number,” he said.

“There’s a little black painted section just in front of that driver number.

“That’s a fake driver cooling duct - it’s not real. It’s just painted on.

“Mercedes installed this hump on their nose partway through last season and said: ‘Oh, it’s just the driver cooling, there’s nothing underneath, there’s nothing complicated about it.’

“The driver cooling duct, at a lot of races, sat on top of that duct. And it wasn’t where that little duct is.

“There is a lot of speculation up and down that Mercedes are doing something clever.

“If you notice, that’s where their front suspension picks up.

“Some people think it’s something to do with the front suspension hiding under that hump in the nose.”

Mercedes during their heyday were smart to never reveal their true performance potential during testing.

Now in their post-Lewis Hamilton era, this duct trick appears to be a way to baffle rivals who might be taking a close look at the W16.

Mercedes will be hoping their latest car, the final one for the current rules cycle, is a substantial improvement on their last three.

Although Hamilton and Russell won grands prix last year, Mercedes were generally slower than McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Russell topped the timesheet on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, and teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was 10th.