Mercedes have suffered one of their most shocking second halves to a Formula 1 season in over a decade of operations.
Around the summer break, it appeared that Lewis Hamilton would get to enjoy a dream swansong season with them, after ending a near three-year winless streak.
But their car development trend has been negative since then and they have firmly set themselves apart as the fourth-best car this year – with crashes and mistakes ‘particularly problematic’ for Mercedes too.
They had hoped to be ahead of both McLaren and Ferrari, who are contending for the constructors’ championship – so just where did it all go so wrong?
Toto Wolff predicted Mercedes to finish second in the 2024 F1 constructors’ championship
After moving away from a flawed aerodynamic philosophy last year, there was an expectation that the once-dominant Silver Arrows would return to the top of the pack soon.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull had only been challenged by the German manufacturer in recent times and remained out of reach at the start of 2024.
But the hope was that Mercedes could out-develop their rivals, as Toto Wolff noted back in April when discussing their aspirations for the season with FOX Sports.
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“Hopefully we can catch up to the to the McLarens and to the Ferraris and fight for P2. This is what it is this year.”
His predictions couldn’t be further from reality, and the team are staring down the barrel with a lot of work to do over the winter if they want to stay competitive in 2025.
How will Mercedes’ job get even more difficult in 2025?
While Toto Wolff remains ‘very excited’ about Mercedes’ future, the departure of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to their intense rivals – Ferrari, will only make life more difficult for them.
Astonishingly, it will mark the first time since the 1950s that the team enters a race without a seven-time champion driver in their ranks.
They are losing a fast and well-crafted racing driver, a model employee, and critically, a lot of experience and feedback for their poor car.
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Hamilton has helped to craft a Formula 1 dynasty with the German giant, and now they must go without his detailed explanations – which could hold them back.
It’s why 2025 stands to be their toughest test since returning to the sport in 2010, and piles the pressure on young rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to hit the ground running.
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