Comparing the Speed and Performance of Mercedes and McLaren in the 2025 F1 Season

The opening races of the 2025 Formula 1 season have provided an exciting spectacle, with Mercedes and McLaren battling it out for supremacy. Despite a small sample size, Mercedes narrowly trails , holding the second-fastest car of the year so far, just 0.345% behind. Red Bull, led by Max Verstappen, follows closely, only 0.008% behind Mercedes.

Early Indications and Performance Analysis

It’s been an encouraging start for Mercedes, with their car showing significant improvements over last year’s model in terms of reliability – a testament to the team’s hard work. However, George Russell acknowledged that McLaren has shown a slight edge at crucial points, a gap that Lando Norris’ brake issue helped close towards the end of the race.

The Mercedes seems to have a larger ‘working window’ and reduced drop-off with tyre wear, although this aspect is yet to be fully tested across various circuits. Russell was among the first drivers to predict a transition to the one-stop strategy, suggesting that tyre wear looked promising on the W16.

The car has also proven benign enough for rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to adapt to comfortably, with minimal rookie mistakes so far. However, the W16 still lags behind McLaren in managing tyre life, a key area of improvement identified by Russell.

Tyre Management and Performance Differences

In comparing Russell’s race stints with winner Oscar Piastri’s, there’s a noticeable difference on the medium tyre of around 0.2-0.6s per lap and around 0.1-0.5s (excluding anomalies) on the hard tyre. Russell’s battles with Norris at the start of each stint may have contributed to some premature wear in the tyres.

In qualifying, however, the gap between McLaren and Mercedes is minimal. On Piastri’s final lap, he managed to eke out a 0.02s advantage over Russell, although an earlier lap would have been sufficient had it not been for his exceptional final lap.

The Road Ahead

As the season progresses, the gap between Mercedes and McLaren is expected to widen due to ‘s apparent edge in tyre management. Mercedes will aim to address this weakness in their W16 design to mitigate ‘s lap-by-lap advantage.

Russell remains optimistic, stating, “They’re the team to beat right now and we’re confident we can bring some performance, but they’re really doing an amazing job.” He emphasizes the importance of consistent scoring and believes that if Mercedes delivers a car capable of challenging McLaren, they will finish ahead.

Russell concludes, “We need to keep on scoring. The last two races, or the three races with the sprint as well – the result we achieved was the maximum in all three.” This satisfaction fuels their determination to deliver a car that can match McLaren‘s performance and secure victories in the future.