In a weekend full of headlines and dramatic stories, Mercedes were largely anonymous at the British GP. The W16’s limitations were confirmed in Silverstone, marking a second consecutive weekend where the team’s updates failed to improve the car.
For a team renowned for their mid-season development, the Silver Arrows appear slightly lost with their 2025 challenger.
Mercedes prepare corrections for the W16
Usually, Mercedes’ driver selection has been a rare source of stability in Formula 1.
The Brackley squad rarely make driver changes, with only exceptional circumstances – like Hamilton’s Ferrari move – triggering new signings.
Throughout 2025, however, Toto Wolff’s driver line-up has been a major talking point.
Specifically, Max Verstappen’s negotiations with the Mercedes team principal has generated immense discussion.
What has become secondary amidst this contract saga is the W16’s performance, which has disappointed in recent weeks.
British Grand Prix, Friday, Richard Pardon
After claiming an impressive victory in Canada, Mercedes were on the defensive in Austria and Britain.
The team’s poor performance in Austria (as Russell spent most of his afternoon battling against midfield teams) was somewhat expected. Spielberg is one of Mercedes’ worst tracks historically.
Silverstone, however, was a circuit that should have suited the W16’s characteristics.
Therefore, alarm bells went off when both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli struggled for pace.
Speaking in Mercedes’ British GP preview, team representative Bradley Lord explained the situation at Brackley:
“First and foremost, it is to put ourselves in a far better footing and demonstrate the full performance potential of the car.
“After that, we’ve got updates coming. We’ve got a number of things to understand about the weekend in Silverstone.
“Notably the balance limitation for Kimi, and whether the drivers are able to really commit to those high speed corners as much as they’d want to with how we’re running the car at the moment.
“So we need to dig through that, and make some decisions about what the spec of the car will be to Spa.
“And then we’ve also got some performance updates coming in both Spa and Hungary, so opportunities to make steps forward there.”
British Grand Prix, Saturday,
Last chance for corrections before 2026
Much like other teams across the paddock, Mercedes understand the importance of the 2026 regulations.
As it stands, the German constructor is an early favourite to produce the best engines for next year’s car. Echoes of 2014, when Mercedes engines took F1 by story, are fairly common in discussions and analysis regarding 2026.
This is partly why Max Verstappen is understood to have entered negotiations with Toto Wolff.
The Silver Arrows can make the case to the Dutchman, unlike Red Bull, that their new power units will give them an advantage next year.
In this sense, Mercedes have not pinned their hopes on cutting the gap to McLaren this year.
Since the FIA Directive in Spain, which seemingly had no impact on the papaya team, McLaren’s advantage has persisted.
Fighting for the Championship, consequently, is no longer a realistic objective for Wolff’s personnel.
Regardless, they will still work to finish ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull this season.
Out-developing Red Bull, whilst perhaps irrelevant to Verstappen’s contract availability, could help sustain the negative narrative surrounding the Austrian team.
This, in turn, could make Verstappen more likely to jump ship in 2026 – should Red Bull fall short of delivering a winning car.
Main photo: Mercedes media gallery