Mercedes driver George Russell has revealed that the team will be laying the groundwork for the 2025 F1 car after the summer break, developing the current W15 in a way that can win races consistently and carry the momentum to the next season to “fight” for the championship title.
After two years of grappling with underperforming ground-effect era cars, Mercedes has finally found the key to unlocking performance. The breakthrough came in Austria, where George Russell secured the team’s first victory of the season, ending a drought that stretched back to his maiden F1 win at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
The recent triumph was followed by a double win from Lewis Hamilton, suggesting that the Brackley outfit is back in contention for the top positions.
Russell explained that Mercedes was focused on laying the groundwork for 2025 after the summer break to increase its chances of winning the title. Speaking to the media at Spa Francorchamps, he said:
“Yeah, absolutely.
“I think for all of us, it’s been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories.
“But, you know, I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025.
“And when you look at the competition now, you know, there’s no reason why we can’t fight.”
Mercedes continues to endure performance inconsistencies at warmer circuits compared to cooler venues like Silverstone, where the W15 excelled. At Spa, the team faced challenges with a new floor during practice but managed to secure a race win with the old floor.
Reflecting on these fluctuations, George Russell has pinpointed a potential cause for the car’s erratic performance. Speaking to Motorsportweek.com, as reported by F1i.com, he said:
“This season’s really been quite strange when we’ve been slightly off the pace in Austria and Barcelona. We didn’t have the answers then.
“And when the pace was so exceptionally quick in Montreal and Silverstone, we had some ideas why it was quick but not to the magnitude that it was.
“So, for sure, we think there’s some correlation with the temperature.
“It’s obviously not the warmest here [at Spa]. There was a bit of cloud cover, so I think that is probably still the correlation we’re seeing.”
The 26-year-old driver noted that while the recent boost in form has increased his confidence, rival teams are also showing heightened motivation, indicating that the fight to the finish will be far from easy. He said:
“If the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different. So, you know, it’s going to be great.
“There’s so much, I think there’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves.
“So for sure, it’s not going to be easy. And, you know, hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”
