Mercedes’ Toto Wolff believes the Brackley-based squad start the F1 2025 season trailing its rivals, but a clearer picture will form this weekend.

Following pre-season testing in Bahrain, the big question of the early part of this season is the order of the top four teams – a quartet Toto Wolff believes his team will be at the back of, at least to start the season.

Toto Wolff: Competitors will have a performance advantage initially

The three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain suggested that it’s McLaren who start the year with the favourites tag as the MCL39 impressed – particularly on long-run pace on the second day.

Red Bull looks to have cured some of the balance issues that plagued its RB20 last year, while Mercedes and Ferrari are also clearly in the mix.

While circuit specificity is likely to be a factor at each venue, Mercedes’ team boss Toto Wolff believes his squad will start the new season at a disadvantage to the others.

“As a team, we had an uphill challenge over the winter,” he said in Mercedes‘ official preview for the Australian Grand Prix.

“Our competitors finished 2024 strongly and we know that Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren in particular, should have a performance advantage over us initially.”

But while the team’s main three rivals might be ahead at this point, Wolff said both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli reported positively on the handling traits of the new W16 – a car that seems to be a step ahead of where the W15 left off at the conclusion of last season.

“We can be pleased with the work we have done in the off-season, and the test in Bahrain,” he said.

“Both drivers commented favourably on the W16 after the three days, and we seem to have made improvements.

“Of course, the only thing that matters is how we measure up against the stopwatch relative to our competitors. We will certainly begin to get a clearer picture on that this weekend.”

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Mercedes release F1 2025 promotional video

Ahead of this weekend’s race in Australia, Mercedes also released a new promotional video named ‘Every Dream Needs A Team’.

Speaking about the video, Wolff said it’s a period of refreshment and renewal for the Mercedes squad, who go into the new season without Lewis Hamilton as a driver for the first time since 2012.

“Australia is always a great place for a race. The circuit is challenging for the drivers and a real test for the car,” Wolff said.

“The fans are always out in force and Melbourne is a fantastic venue to kick off the new season.

“I remember my first race with the team there in 2013; we held a photoshoot with our drivers on St Kilda Beach and there was a palpable sense of renewed energy.

“There is also always a start of term feel in the paddock and it therefore feels like an appropriate location to launch our next chapter. As George says at the end of the film: ‘This is just the beginning.’ And we are excited for what lies ahead.

“We will write the opening lines of our next chapter at the Australian Grand Prix. It’s an exciting time as we build upon the incredible legacy of the Mercedes brand in motorsport.

“We will be striving to set new benchmarks and fulfil new dreams in the years ahead. That will take every single one of us: from the drivers to the mechanics, engineers, everyone at Brackley and Brixworth and, of course, our fans.

“That journey is the inspiration for our season launch film. It is a celebration of everything that makes Mercedes what it is: Innovation; Pushing the boundaries; The pioneering spirit of our founders. The same DNA that drives us forward today.

“With George and Kimi, two homegrown talents from our junior programme graduates, we have a strong driver line-up that combines experience, youth, and raw speed. It is an exciting duo that will lead us into our next era.”

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