Mercedes unveils W16 F1 car with bold 2025 overhaul
Mercedes has unveiled its W16 F1 car featuring comprehensive aerodynamic changes and new front suspension designed to fix the inconsistent performance that saw dramatic swings in competitiveness during 2024, as Russell steps into team leadership alongside rookie Antonelli.
Mercedes has officially unveiled its 2025 Formula 1 car, the W16, which will be piloted by George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the upcoming season.
The reveal follows last week's livery presentation at the F1 75 event in London, where the team had displayed the new color scheme on an older model.
Tackling fundamental issues
The W16 represents Mercedes' latest attempt to address the persistent problems that have plagued its ground-effect era cars. Technical director James Allison highlighted the team's specific focus areas for improvement.
"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,"
Allison explained.
According to the team, the W16 features changes to "every aerodynamic surface" of the car, alongside a completely redesigned front suspension. These comprehensive modifications aim to eliminate the inconsistency that hampered the team throughout 2024.
Mixed fortunes in 2024
Despite claiming four race victories last season – with Russell and Lewis Hamilton each securing two wins, including a dominant one-two finish in Las Vegas – Mercedes struggled with dramatic performance swings from circuit to circuit.
The W15's unpredictable nature and balance difficulties often left the team unable to compete with their frontrunning rivals.
These inconsistencies ultimately resulted in Mercedes finishing fourth in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull – an underwhelming result for the former dominant force in Formula 1.
New driver dynamic
The 2025 season marks a significant transition for the Silver Arrows, with Russell stepping into the role of team leader following Hamilton's departure to Ferrari.
Alongside him, 18-year-old Antonelli will become the youngest-ever driver to race for Mercedes, having been fast-tracked through the team's junior program to fill Hamilton's vacant seat.
Russell acknowledged the challenges ahead:
"It's going to be a significant change this year. To be honest, we say every year we've uncovered a problem, we've solved it, and it's created a new one."
The British driver also highlighted the team's methodical approach to development for the new car.
"We've probably been a lot more disciplined with every change that we've made, and being more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator running, just to ensure we're not going to fall into a new trap. So far, it's a reasonable step. It's going to be quite an interesting season with how people deploy the resource between 2025 and 2026."
Mercedes plans to conduct a filming day with the W16 at the Bahrain International Circuit on Tuesday before joining the other teams for pre-season testing at the same venue from February 26-28.
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