George Russell has announced that Mercedes is convening a significant meeting this week to address the team’s recent decline in performance during the 2025 Formula 1 season. The British driver, who started the year strong with four podium finishes and consistent placements in the top five through the first six races, expressed concern over the team’s trajectory following a disappointing showing in recent rounds.
Mercedes enjoyed a highlight in June when Russell secured a victory in Canada, while teammate Kimi Antonelli also claimed a podium finish. However, the three races that followed have been lackluster, with Russell finishing fifth at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. Notably, he was more than half a minute behind the dominant McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and nearly 15 seconds off the pace of the battle for third place between Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Max Verstappen from Red Bull.
Russell reflected on the team’s struggles, stating, “It was pretty underwhelming, to be honest. Because we tend to favour the cooler conditions, we couldn’t have really asked for better weather for us. But we’ve just had no pace recently.” He emphasized the necessity for a thorough review, highlighting the upcoming meeting with designers and engineers to analyze recent decisions and their impact on performance. “We need to understand why we’ve gone backwards and hope for some improvements in Hungary,” he added.
Despite a series of upgrades to the W16 model over the past months, Russell noted that the team has struggled to harness the potential of the new components. He remarked, “P5 was probably flattering the real pace of the car, so I’m at least happy we got the maximum possible. We made a clear change of direction a couple of months ago, and since then we’ve taken a step backwards.”
Challenges with Technical Directives
The team’s challenges have been compounded by the introduction of a technical directive at the Spanish Grand Prix, which restricted the amount of front-wing flexing. Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ head of trackside engineering, acknowledged the difficulties in achieving balance since the new rules were implemented. “What we had earlier in the year was a car that was working well at pretty much every circuit,” Shovlin stated.
He further explained, “We were generally fighting for the second row of the grid, if not the front row. The fact is that other teams are able to balance their cars a bit better. There’s definitely a solution in there for us.” Shovlin indicated that Mercedes is scrutinizing all recent design changes to pinpoint the root causes of their performance issues, particularly focusing on the entry stability of the car.
With the Hungarian Grand Prix approaching this weekend, the team is under pressure to rectify their performance before the summer break. Shovlin confirmed the meeting Russell referenced would take place on Monday. He expressed optimism that necessary adjustments could be implemented in time for the upcoming race. “It’s definitely possible for us to look at changing aspects of the car for Budapest,” he stated, adding, “How deep we go will depend on what parts we’ve got around us.”
As the team prepares for this critical period, all eyes will be on Mercedes to see if they can reclaim their competitive edge in the highly contested world of Formula 1 racing. The Hungarian Grand Prix promises to be a key opportunity for Mercedes to demonstrate progress and regain momentum.
