Mercedes rebuilds foundation but major unknown hangs over expected F1 revival

Mercedes concluded the 2025 Formula 1 season as runners-up in the constructors' championship, securing second place with 469 points behind dominant leaders McLaren.

It was a campaign that showcased both the strengths and growing pains of their evolving driver partnership, whilst laying crucial groundwork for the seismic regulatory changes arriving in 2026.

George Russell carried the bulk of Mercedes' charge, delivering two race victories at Canada and Singapore whilst finishing fourth in the drivers' championship with 319 points.

The Briton's consistency proved vital. After a flurry of four early-year trips to the rostrum, he settled into a rhythm of consistent points-scoring finishes with his two triumphs and final three podiums of the campaign punctuating those results.

Russell cemented his status as Mercedes' undisputed lead driver, proving to be the hallmark of consistency up and down the paddock.

Qualifying outside the top six only once all season — at Monaco when an issue in Q2 ruined his grid-setting efforts — he completed all by two laps across the year, after being lapped twice in an eventful drive to P11 in the principality.

His commanding performances throughout the season reinforced the wisdom of Mercedes' decision to retain him through 2026, despite the notable brevity of his one-year contract extension worth £30 million annually.

Alongside Russell, rookie Kimi Antonelli endured the classic baptism of fire expected from a teenager thrust into F1's spotlight.

The Italian's debut campaign followed a frustrating arc, beginning promisingly with a fourth-place finish in Australia and a third-place finish in Canada.

However, a brutal mid-season stretch saw four retirements and multiple non-scoring finishes in Europe as the youngster struggled to adapt when Mercedes introduced suspension changes that made the W16 increasingly difficult to handle.

Antonelli's redemption arrived spectacularly at Brazil, where he secured his second podium with a mature second-place performance, holding off Max Verstappen on fresher rubber.

The breakthrough catalysed a strong finish to his rookie year, adding a podium in Las Vegas, too, whilst accumulating 150 points to finish seventh overall. 

His recovery demonstrated the maturity that convinced Mercedes to fast-track his promotion, making him the highest-scoring rookie under the current points system.

The dawn of a new era — but a question mark remains

In total, Mercedes scored one more point than in 2024, but that was enough to jump from fourth to second in the constructors' standings.

The Toto Wolff-led squad's technical evolution throughout 2025 reflected a team preparing strategically for the future rather than chasing immediate gains.

The W16 received steady development, most notably at Imola, where revised front suspension fairings, a new front wing design, and improved engine cover profiling enhanced aerodynamic efficiency.

However, persistent tyre temperature management issues plagued race weekends, particularly at hotter venues where Mercedes struggled to prevent overheating compared to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

The team's 12 podium finishes (including Russell's two victories) represented their best return since 2022, yet the huge deficit to McLaren highlighted the scale of their challenge ahead of 2026's revolutionary regulations.

With cars becoming 30kg lighter, aerodynamics switching to active systems, and power units adopting a 50-50 hybrid-combustion split, Mercedes, like the rest of the grid, faces its biggest technical reset since the turbo-hybrid era began.

The Brackley-based team aced the power unit rules change in 2014, so there is considerable intrigue, optimism and anticipation surrounding the 2026 revisions.

However, with that comes the pressure of expectation, and anything short of a return to championship-contending form will be viewed as a failure.

Russell's one-year contract extension deliberately maintains flexibility for 2027, with Verstappen a lingering possibility and whilst acknowledging, from the British driver's perspective, that the new regulatory cycle could reshape the competitive order entirely.

His partnership with Antonelli, now blooded by a challenging rookie campaign, provides Mercedes with a blend of experience and emerging talent perfectly timed for the dawn of a new era in F1.