Mercedes Director Hints At Major Design Changes For 2025 Contender

Mercedes is planning significant design changes to their Formula 1 car for the 2025 season.

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Mercedes's Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin has revealed that the team is planning significant design changes to their Formula 1 car for the 2025 season. With just one year left before major regulation shifts in 2026, the announcement comes as the Brackley-based squad aims to stay ahead in the intensely competitive Formula 1 landscape.

Speaking to the media, Shovlin explained, as quoted by F1Technical.net:

“We haven’t made decisions yet on does the chassis stay the same? Does the gearbox stay the same? The reality is you probably can’t change everything."

Despite facing challenges with the current generation of cars over the last couple of years, Mercedes has shown a significant jump in performance, clinching victories in three of the past four races. Shovlin noted that while they are currently in the evaluation phase, a major area of focus would be on obtaining the maximum return on investment within the constraints of the cost cap.

"We’re at a stage now where we’re trying to evaluate those to look for the best return for your spend in the cost cap. However, I think, aerodynamically, our car and most people’s cars will be an evolution of what we have today.

“There’ll be significant changes on there but you won’t want to change the architecture of the car and take a big hit in the wind tunnel that you then have to recover. I don’t think many people will be doing that."

Another significant change for Mercedes is the exit of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton who will be leaving the team at the end of the year for Ferrari. Stepping into the British driver's shoes is rising talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli who will drive alongside George Russell in 2025.

Mercedes's recent performance improvements leaves them currently in fourth position in the Constructors' Standings with 292 points behind Ferrari in third with 407 points and ahead of Aston Martin in fifth with 74 points.

2024 F1 Constructors' Standings

1. Red Bull Racing - 446 points
2. McLaren - 438 points
3. Ferrari - 407 points
4. Mercedes - 292 points
5. Aston Martin - 74 points
6. VCARB - 34 points
7. Haas - 28 points
8. Alpine - 13 points
9. Williams - 6 points
10. Sauber - 0 points

2024 F1 Drivers' Standings

1. Max Verstappen - 303 points
2. Lando Norris - 241 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 217 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 197 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 184 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 164 points
7. Sergio Perez - 143 points
8. George Russell - 128 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 50 points
10. Lance Stroll - 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
14. Pierre Gasly - 8 points
15. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points
17. Alex Albon - 6 points
18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21. Franco Colapinto - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points