Mercedes wants to focus on tire management to improve

So far in 2025, Mercedes has achieved its best start to the season since 2021 with 141 points. Although it remains far from McLaren, in total domination with 246 points, the German team should progress in the coming races, due to planned developments.

In Miami, slight modifications were installed on the W15s of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the first since the start of the season. We have indeed made improvements, said James Allison, the team's technical director, on Mercedes' YouTube channel. They're not particularly imposing or attractive, but the other improvements are coming gradually. »

In Florida, Mercedes showed a decent pace on a circuit that it was apprehensive about due to the high track temperatures, its Achilles heel in 2025. After Jeddah, " the worst performance » of Mercedes this season according to Toto Wolff, the Austrian director declared this: " The next race in Miami will be on a hot track, so we'll have to do better than today if we want to avoid a bad result again. » As a reminder, the two Mercedes drivers crossed the checkered flag in 5th and 6th places.

The Mercedes team principal didn't want to repeat the experience, and he did! Back on the podium in Miami, his fourth this season, George Russell was, once again, the best of the rest behind the omnipotent McLarens. For his part, Kimi Antonelli had a difficult Sunday (6th), but his achievement remains his pole position during the Sprint qualifications on Friday.

So, let's hope that Mercedes continues its improvements to get closer to the front. Some developments will be more visible to the outside world in the next races and, with a bit of luck, they will improve our situation. " said James Allison.

Tire temperature: McLaren's strength, Mercedes' weakness

The W15 is by far the best Mercedes under the regulations introduced in 2022. However, it has yet to reach the top step of the podium in 2025, due to its major weakness: tire temperature management.

« We're a quarter of the way through the season. It's actually quite difficult to make improvements to the car when the races are coming at a machine-gun pace. So I hope the improvements in the next two or three races will help us move forward a little, and we'll continue to work on tire temperatures during the races, which will greatly improve our fortunes. " explained the team's technical director.

According to James Allison, the priority is better tire management and understanding, an area in which McLaren outperforms the entire grid. Our priority will be to control our race pace and deliver on our Saturday promises on Sunday. A lot of that will be about controlling tire temperature and making sure the car can exploit the pace it has. »

On the European circuits of the next three races (Imola, Monaco, Spain), track temperatures should be more lenient for the German team. Perhaps enough to see them back on the podiums.

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