Wolff braces for “intense” run-in as Mercedes parks big W16 upgrades and eyes 2026
The summer lull is over. So too, says Toto Wolff, are the days of bolting big new bits onto Mercedes’ 2025 car. As F1 returns at Zandvoort for the first of 10 remaining rounds, the team principal expects a hard, busy sprint to the flag — and not just on Sundays.
“It will be an intense 10 races as we fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship and simultaneously focus on 2026,” Wolff said, laying out Mercedes’ split-screen priorities. The call has been made: no more major developments for the W16. The factory’s heavy lift now pivots to next year’s all-new ruleset, with chassis work running in parallel to a fresh power unit from High Performance Powertrains.
That doesn’t mean the Silver Arrows are packing it in. Far from it. The team still has results to chase in this final chapter of the current regulations, and the numbers aren’t shabby: seven podiums so far in 2025, including George Russell’s opportunistic victory in Canada.
Hungary, the last round before the break, offered a timely bit of encouragement. Mercedes rolled back to an older-spec rear suspension after a newer concept failed to land, and Russell converted the reset into a podium. Caution, though, remains the word.
“It’s obviously been a challenging run of form for us these last six or so races,” Russell said at the Hungaroring. “We reverted on some items we brought. Early in the season we brought a new rear suspension that clearly wasn’t performing as we’d have hoped… It was also a pretty unique weekend. You see the results by McLaren, and it was quite an unusual finishing order from P3 down… So, I don’t think we should get carried away with the result. But, clearly, in terms of pace, it was our best race of the season bar Canada.”
The subtext is familiar: Mercedes has found direction, but it’s still threading a needle. Chase down P2 now without starving the 2026 project. Keep scoring while limiting risk. And do it with a car that’s reached the end of its development arc.
“We’re ready to get back racing this weekend at Zandvoort,” Wolff added. “We start the run to the end of the season, and this current era of regulations, determined to end both strongly… the progress we made in Hungary gives us a good platform to work with.”
Ten races. One eye on the present, one on the future. Mercedes has chosen its line; now it has to nail the exit.
