2025 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[OverheatedTurbo]

George has been supreme thus far.

He especially makes a much better impression physically than last year. You can see, that he is in shape now. That he was completely exhausted on several occasions in the past and often showed a surprisingly low pace compared to Ham was based on him being not really on top level with his fitness in my point of view. The collapse after the Spore race was the top of this issue, maybe also the last lap crash the year before.

George seems to have made a step mentally as well. This is the best he has looked.

[SB15]

George has been supreme thus far.

He especially makes a much better impression physically than last year. You can see, that he is in shape now. That he was completely exhausted on several occasions in the past and often showed a surprisingly low pace compared to Ham was based on him being not really on top level with his fitness in my point of view. The collapse after the Spore race was the top of this issue, maybe also the last lap crash the year before.

George seems to have made a step mentally as well. This is the best he has looked.

There's a lot of rumors saying Max to Mercedes, but really I have zero doubts in my mind that George and Kimi are staying for 2026. Their dynamic is quite adorable in a sense, and the team itself is more laidback than I ever seen these last 4 years and I think having Valtteri in the team and have him to coach Kimi as well is another bonus to relieve the pressure. Plus Lewis leaving left Mercedes to start fresh without the unnecessary drama from the fans, the media, or his team.

Toto may have made his decision but not only how much George cost, but how the environment is now because let's be honest; do Mercedes really need Max Verstappen fans or Jos Verstappen pressuring him every weekend?

[Macklaren]

F1 summit cannot risk Max retiring if he does not have a competitive car. There will be a LOT of pressure on Toto to take on Max if AMR seems like a bust

[nitrotech]

F1 summit cannot risk Max retiring if he does not have a competitive car. There will be a LOT of pressure on Toto to take on Max if AMR seems like a bust

Why exactly would there be pressure on Toto to take Max? Was there any pressure in 2014 to take Vettel? Wouldn't it be good for F1 to have another multi WDC to be on the grid alongside Max, Lewis and Alonso? If Mercedes manages a great car and engine, why would they need Max to drive? Just like Nico and Lewis won tons of races and WDCs, George and Kimi can replicate the same success. Other than Max fans wanting to see him win, I don't see any other pressure here.

[Matt2725]

F1 summit cannot risk Max retiring if he does not have a competitive car. There will be a LOT of pressure on Toto to take on Max if AMR seems like a bust

I'm not sure what pressure there would be? F1 doesn't need Max Verstappen anymore than he needs F1. A lot of this rhetoric seems to be coming from Verstappen fans who can't bare to return to his leaner days where he didn't have far and away the best car. Harder to sell the whole "GOAT" idea I guess without that.

But I digress...

Mercedes have the best line-up they could hope for right now and I very much expect both drivers to be locked into multi-year (perhaps 2+1 or more) contracts by the summer.

[basti313]

He especially makes a much better impression physically than last year. You can see, that he is in shape now. That he was completely exhausted on several occasions in the past and often showed a surprisingly low pace compared to Ham was based on him being not really on top level with his fitness in my point of view. The collapse after the Spore race was the top of this issue, maybe also the last lap crash the year before.

George seems to have made a step mentally as well. This is the best he has looked.

There's a lot of rumors saying Max to Mercedes, but really I have zero doubts in my mind that George and Kimi are staying for 2026. Their dynamic is quite adorable in a sense, and the team itself is more laidback than I ever seen these last 4 years and I think having Valtteri in the team and have him to coach Kimi as well is another bonus to relieve the pressure. Plus Lewis leaving left Mercedes to start fresh without the unnecessary drama from the fans, the media, or his team.

Toto may have made his decision but not only how much George cost, but how the environment is now because let's be honest; do Mercedes really need Max Verstappen fans or Jos Verstappen pressuring him every weekend?

I think this is part of why George really looks that good. Similar to Tsunoda...he knows that this is the time where he needs to beat the rookie or he is done. No more hiding possible. I wrote it in the RB thread and I think the same holds true here. George is also very close to the Millennial attitudes. They do not move if they do not really have to.

BUT I see only one way this can go down with a driver change: If Merc builds again a rocket ship (rocket engine) next season, Toto will manage the fight and George is the next Goat. No way they swap in Max if they are anyways winning.
If they are not dominant, the question is how much better they are than RedBull. And this is the only chance...Merc not winning, but still closer to win than RedBull. Then maybe the weaker driver gets replaced, whoever this is.
But this also depends on the availability. There is still a small chance, that Max replaces Alo and then the case is anyways closed for Merc.

[Macklaren]

F1 summit cannot risk Max retiring if he does not have a competitive car. There will be a LOT of pressure on Toto to take on Max if AMR seems like a bust

I'm not sure what pressure there would be? F1 doesn't need Max Verstappen anymore than he needs F1. A lot of this rhetoric seems to be coming from Verstappen fans who can't bare to return to his leaner days where he didn't have far and away the best car. Harder to sell the whole "GOAT" idea I guess without that.

But I digress...

Mercedes have the best line-up they could hope for right now and I very much expect both drivers to be locked into multi-year (perhaps 2+1 or more) contracts by the summer.

Haha I'm the POLAR OPPOSITE of a VER fan. I think AD21 was one of the darkest days in F1 history (that didn't involve an accident). It's pretty clear that F1 has been run the show in the past few years and Max is part of the villain narrative. Anyways....

[AR3-GP]

If Antonelli is the driver that Toto believes he is, then Russell is effectively Daniel Ricciardo from 7-8 years ago. Their careers are amusingly similar to this point. Ricciardo drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Red Bull. Russell drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Mercedes. Both were considered upper tier drivers, but not quite the next Schumachers of the world. They both saw off multi-WDC teammates (Vettel, Hamilton) who each departed for Ferrari. Then a wonder kid arrived to the team...will history repeat itself?

[SB15]

If Antonelli is the driver that Toto believes he is, then Russell is effectively Daniel Ricciardo from 7-8 years ago. Their careers are amusingly similar to this point. Ricciardo drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Red Bull. Russell drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Mercedes. Both were considered upper tier drivers, but not quite the next Schumachers of the world. They both saw off multi-WDC teammates (Vettel, Hamilton) who each departed for Ferrari. Then a wonder kid arrived to the team...will history repeat itself?

Russell isn't a Daniel Riccardo because Daniel spent only 1 year with Vettel and then the next year he was with Kvyat and then Max switched in Spain. Russell was yes, 3 years in a back-marker team but another 3 year with Lewis Hamilton as your teammate. Plus, Kimi didn't jump to Merc mid-season like Verstappen because Kimi was given loads of testing time before jumping in.

And Kimi is opposite to Verstappen, Kimi is very open about Mercedes giving George preference if they're in title contention while he learns this year.

[lh13]

If Antonelli is the driver that Toto believes he is, then Russell is effectively Daniel Ricciardo from 7-8 years ago. Their careers are amusingly similar to this point. Ricciardo drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Red Bull. Russell drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Mercedes. Both were considered upper tier drivers, but not quite the next Schumachers of the world. They both saw off multi-WDC teammates (Vettel, Hamilton) who each departed for Ferrari. Then a wonder kid arrived to the team...will history repeat itself?

Russell isn't a Daniel Riccardo because Daniel spent only 1 year with Vettel and then the next year he was with Kvyat and then Max switched in Spain. Russell was yes, 3 years in a back-marker team but another 3 year with Lewis Hamilton as your teammate. Plus, Kimi didn't jump to Merc mid-season like Verstappen because Kimi was given loads of testing time before jumping in.

And Kimi is opposite to Verstappen, Kimi is very open about Mercedes giving George preference if they're in title contention while he learns this year.

You must be fun at parties!

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[f1isgood]

If Antonelli is the driver that Toto believes he is, then Russell is effectively Daniel Ricciardo from 7-8 years ago. Their careers are amusingly similar to this point. Ricciardo drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Red Bull. Russell drove 3 seasons for backmarker before being promoted to Mercedes. Both were considered upper tier drivers, but not quite the next Schumachers of the world. They both saw off multi-WDC teammates (Vettel, Hamilton) who each departed for Ferrari. Then a wonder kid arrived to the team...will history repeat itself?

Russell isn't a Daniel Riccardo because Daniel spent only 1 year with Vettel and then the next year he was with Kvyat and then Max switched in Spain. Russell was yes, 3 years in a back-marker team but another 3 year with Lewis Hamilton as your teammate. Plus, Kimi didn't jump to Merc mid-season like Verstappen because Kimi was given loads of testing time before jumping in.

And Kimi is opposite to Verstappen, Kimi is very open about Mercedes giving George preference if they're in title contention while he learns this year.

That would be one way to not establish yourself.

In F1's history how often has it been the case that an actual generational talent been so happy to help their teammates win titles? Wait, let me guess, basically never.

If Kimi is as good as Max is, there will already be signs of extraordinary ability this year. And once people see that Russell is basically on a Ricciardo track as AR3 points out.

[nitrotech]

There are two groups that tend to underestimate George, often with a dismissive attitude: Lewis fans and Max fans. George has consistently demonstrated a level of performance in his career that outshines drivers like Ricciardo, who never came close to achieving the same success in the junior categories. Ricciardo's struggles at McLaren are well-documented, and his inability to adapt led to his departure. In stark contrast, George faced a similar challenge in a non-competitive car and not only rose to the occasion but also outperformed Lewis on several fronts.

Max fans, on the other hand, often downplay George’s abilities due to his refusal to be intimidated by Max. Unlike other drivers, George isn't one to back down or play second fiddle. If George were to get behind the wheel of a car capable of winning a World Driver's Championship, the situation would become far more challenging for his rivals. He’s proven time and again that he’s not a pushover, unlike others who get overshadowed by Max.

When it comes to qualifying, George has consistently outperformed every teammate he's had, including Lewis. His race pace has steadily improved, and he has shown he can go toe-to-toe with one of the best in the sport. To put it simply, George's performances against Lewis speak for themselves, and they paint a much clearer picture of his true potential than anything we've seen from Ricciardo.

[Matt2725]

There are two groups that tend to underestimate George, often with a dismissive attitude: Lewis fans and Max fans. George has consistently demonstrated a level of performance in his career that outshines drivers like Ricciardo, who never came close to achieving the same success in the junior categories. Ricciardo's struggles at McLaren are well-documented, and his inability to adapt led to his departure. In stark contrast, George faced a similar challenge in a non-competitive car and not only rose to the occasion but also outperformed Lewis on several fronts.

Max fans, on the other hand, often downplay George’s abilities due to his refusal to be intimidated by Max. Unlike other drivers, George isn't one to back down or play second fiddle. If George were to get behind the wheel of a car capable of winning a World Driver's Championship, the situation would become far more challenging for his rivals. He’s proven time and again that he’s not a pushover, unlike others who get overshadowed by Max.

When it comes to qualifying, George has consistently outperformed every teammate he's had, including Lewis. His race pace has steadily improved, and he has shown he can go toe-to-toe with one of the best in the sport. To put it simply, George's performances against Lewis speak for themselves, and they paint a much clearer picture of his true potential than anything we've seen from Ricciardo.

George is operating at a level where he can't be denied I would suggest.

By that, I mean I think Wolff can't ignore him as the obvious choice going forward for his team. I think previous dismissals were obvious from his teammates fans. We all want our favourite drivers to do well, and at Merc's previous level these past few years, it was all about the intra-team battle rather than competing for championships.
Can't speak for why he gets that attitude from the Verstappen fans, but I do think it's true that he will continue to be a thorn in the side of Max as long as he has the car to do so.

In terms of qualifying, I personally think there is nobody better on the grid right now than Russell.

[Lasssept]

[SB15]

As I predicted, most of Mercs upgrades, or maybe, all upgrades this season will be mechanical and changes internally.