George Russell has given more details on the ‘new trap’ Mercedes are looking to avoid with the W16, having hinted at a “significant change” to this year’s car.

Russell took two race victories last season, though Mercedes finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship behind McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull – and the Briton hinted that changes are coming to this season’s car.

Russell explains what ‘trap’ Mercedes want to avoid with W16

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

Speaking as the covers were set to be pulled from the team’s 2025 challenger, Russell said there was set to be a change coming to the team’s new car as the final year of the current Formula 1 regulations come into effect.

He told media including PlanetF1.com in London: “I think it’s going to be a significant change this year, to be honest.

“Every year we’ve uncovered a problem, we’ve solved it, and it’s created a new one, and [this year] we’ve probably been a lot more disciplined with every change that we’ve made, have been more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator running, just to ensure we’re not going to fall into a new trap. And so far, it’s a reasonable step.”

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He offered more details into what that meant, however, explaining the process in place at the team ahead of this year is going about trying to find the right balance with its adjustments by not looking to “go too far” in one direction or another.

When asked about the ‘trap’ he was alluding to, Russell said: “I think the last couple of years, we’ve been so focused on solving the problem, we weren’t looking ahead to what future issues it would cause – it’s like you solve one thing and then it creates a new problem.

“So we’ve been forward thinking much more than we have done in the past, and that’s quite normal in the world of aero when you’re developing in the wind tunnel.

“But when you’re changing characteristics of the car and how it’s going to handle and how it’s going to feel for us driving it, if you make the front stronger, it’s going to take away from the rear. And if you go too far, that’s just as much as of a problem [as] if it’s in the opposite direction.

“So I think just really being thorough, saying ‘right, these are the fundamental changes we’re going to make. We think it’s going to do X. Is that going to be a problem at these races? And if so, how are we going to drive around it?’”

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