Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed when the Brackley outfit plans on introducing its first big upgrade of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
2026 will welcome a new era of regulations in F1. So, teams are forced to split their resources this year to develop the current cars and look ahead to next year to develop for the new regulations. Allison explained to Motorsport.com and other media in Bahrain that a “good chunk of their effort” will be working on the 2026 car.
“I think any team that has got a bit of common sense will still be putting a good chunk of their effort towards the future because the 2026 rules are such a tear-up from these ones,” he commented.
“These ones have just got 21 races left to go, and then they’re done. We’re trying to push as much as we can onto the car in this first quarter/third, of the year, and maybe we’ll have some bits after that, but it’s a lot of effort going into the future.
“Happily there is, even without changing the geometry of the car, there’s still quite a lot of lap time just in fine setup work.”
When asked about when the team aims to bring significant upgrades to the W16, Allison added:
“We’re certainly planning to bring a reasonable raft of stuff for Imola. But there’s some things this weekend as well. Nothing as flash as a floor or as outwardly visible as a floor. But things that we’re interested in finding out how they perform.”
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Mercedes has had a strong start to the 2025 season. With rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli joining George Russell following Lewis Hamilton’s exit to Ferrari, the team sits second in the constructors’ standings with 75 points. Antonelli is fifth in the drivers’ championship with 30 points, just behind Russell, who is fourth with 45.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will take place on 16-18 May.
