Frustrated by the W16’s poor performance in the heat, Toto Wolff jokingly suggested Mercedes might fare better with a few races in Greenland or Alaska.
After a challenging series of hot-weather races, Mercedes continues to grapple with a persistent issue: the W16 simply does not perform under high temperatures. Despite early-season promise—including four podiums in the first six races for George Russell—the Silver Arrows left the recent triple-header with just 18 points and more questions than answers.
Team Principal Toto Wolff expressed his frustration following the Spanish Grand Prix, where track temperatures soared to 50°C and exposed Mercedes’ recurring weakness. “It’s just very odd,” he told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “We’re a huge organisation with thousands of people, and still we can’t seem to understand how to keep a tyre in the right window when it’s hot.”
The contrast between performance in different climates is stark. In colder conditions—like those in Las Vegas last season—Mercedes looked formidable from the first lap. But as soon as the mercury rises, the car struggles to manage tyre temperatures, particularly at the rear.
The issue appears to be deeply embedded in the car’s DNA, and not easily fixed by setup changes or one-off upgrades. A revised rear suspension package introduced at Imola failed to deliver the desired improvements and was subsequently abandoned for the Monaco and Barcelona races.
James Allison, Mercedes’ Chief Technical Officer, acknowledged that the team had been too aggressive with rear axle demands in Imola and Monaco. However, a more conservative approach in Barcelona yielded slightly better tyre performance, even if the team remained off the pace.
Russell’s fourth-place finish in Spain was the best Mercedes could manage, and only came after a late safety car closed the gap to the leaders. Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had shown promise earlier in the season with a sprint pole in Miami, but suffered a reliability issue in Barcelona and failed to finish.
While other teams—particularly McLaren—have adapted better to the new generation of Pirelli tyres and warmer conditions, Mercedes is still trying to unlock consistent performance across varying climates. Wolff admitted the mystery remains unsolved: “Even though we’re a large organisation with many scientists and engineers, sometimes you don’t know why a car is doing something.”
The team is now re-evaluating setup philosophies and considering deeper structural changes to improve tyre management. “Knowing that we can lean more into this new approach gives us hope for the races ahead,” said Allison. But whether this marks the start of a real solution or merely patches over a fundamental design flaw is still unclear.
As Mercedes looks to return to winning ways in the era of ground-effect cars, Wolff offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion: “Maybe we need a few racetracks in Greenland or Alaska.”
