Mercedes F1 hoping to 'improve fortunes' with Imola upgrades

Mercedes is eyeing a turning point in its 2025 F1 campaign as it prepares to introduce a fresh set of upgrades at the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. The Silver Arrows are eager to close the gap with McLaren and Red Bull and will roll out modifications to the W16, according to technical director James Allison.

Mercedes has had a promising qualifying pace but inconsistent race performances. Despite that, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have amassed points and stayed with the frontrunners. Russell currently stands six points behind third-place Max Verstappen, while Antonelli is five points off Charles Leclerc at sixth.

The team believes that another development phase could shift their fortunes over the next few rounds and improve their race-day competitiveness. Speaking ahead of the Imola weekend, Mercedes' technical director James Allison outlined the significance of the upcoming upgrades and the team's continued efforts to fix its race pace.

"There is some that will be more obvious to the outside world in the next handful of races and with a bit of luck they will improve our fortunes... Hopefully the ones that happen in the next two or three races will move the dial a bit for us. Also, we will continue to try to work on the tire temperature in the races, that will also improve our fortune," Allison said via Mercedes' Race DeBreif on YouTube. (7:38 onwards)

The upgrades come at a time when Mercedes has shown flashes of improvement but remains short of true front-running pace. Team boss Toto Wolff explained the team's lack of competitiveness in races, but impressive performances in qualifying are due to their lack of speed on 'extended runs.' These shortcomings have made it difficult for the team to mount a sustained challenge.

Despite this, Russell secured his third podium of the season in Miami while rookie Kimi Antonelli has shown impressive speed with five top-six finishes. However, both drivers have been hindered by long-term pace and a car that struggles to maintain tire temperature on race day.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (12) leads George Russell (63) in the Miami Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Following the race, Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin echoed Allison's sentiments as he praised the team's incremental gains but reiterated the need for improvement, adding (via F1):

"We leave Miami pleased we have added more points to our tally compared to Red Bull and Ferrari, but knowing we have got work to do if we are to challenge at the very front each weekend. Our single lap has been a strength, but we need to improve our long run pace. Hopefully we can make some gains in this area starting in Imola in two weeks'itime."

While Mercedes introduced a new power unit across all its teams during the Miami weekend, it remains under the same specification as at the start of the season. According to Formula 1's sporting regulations, limited changes are permitted on the engine for reliability, cost-efficiency, or safety enhancements.

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Toto Wolff emphasizes urgency as Mercedes targets gains in pace ahead of Imola

Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes, looks on during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Mercedes experienced a mixed bag of results in Miami. George Russell capitalized on a well-timed pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car and managed to stay ahead of Max Verstappen to finish third, bringing home yet another podium. Antonelli, meanwhile, fell victim to a slow pit stop before the VSC was deployed, ultimately losing out to his teammate.

This pushed Mercedes to second in the Constructor Standings with 141 points, 36 points ahead of Red Bull. Team Principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the need for urgent progress following the Miami Grand Prix, citing McLaren's pace advantage. He said (via F1):

"Obviously, the gap to the McLarens was large though. That is disappointing but we are working hard to bring updates that will hopefully close that deficit. We've seen these performance gaps fluctuate over these first six races, and some weekends other teams get right in the mix at the front, but they are the team to beat right now."

The team's strategy heading into Imola appears two-pronged: continue refining their new aerodynamic and suspension elements while addressing tire performance and overall balance. The hope is that, with incremental gains and more effective deployment of race-day strategy, the Silver Arrows can begin to mount a consistent challenge as all eyes now turn to Imola.