Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has delivered a downcast expectation of his team’s chances of repeating last year’s victory in Formula 1‘s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The German marque picked up an impressive 1-2 in 2024, with George Russell taking a commanding victory, seven seconds ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton in second.
Russell’s win typified one of Mercedes’ notable characteristics of the last couple of seasons, which is its ability to perform better when track temperatures are colder.
Whilst this will be the case this weekend, the two-hour shift in race starts [8pm compared to 10pm of the last two years] will work against the Brackley-based squad.
This could put the W16’s rear suspension more open to rigidity, which has been one of its handicaps this year, leaving Wolff with a glass-half-empty disposition.
“I’ve said let’s just keep exactly the same car that we had last year, let’s not change it, but unfortunately that’s not the case anymore,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So we’ve got to be very analytical of what is the car that we need for Las Vegas, what is the ambient [temperature], and can we replicate the kind of performances. But I doubt it.
“We just need to go there open-minded. It’s a new weekend, and hopefully we’re able to perform well.”
Mercedes highlights how form guide has flipped in 2025
Mercedes Deputy Technical Director Simone Resta was also conspicuously realistic about the team’s chances this weekend.
He cited victories scored at tracks this year as an example of how fortunes have somewhat flip-flopped compared to 2024.
“I think it’s very difficult to have a proper expectation of a performance because if you look at last year and this year, we won in all different races between last year and this year,” he said.
“It’s quite difficult to draw a direct guess between how we were last year and how it’s going to be this year.
“We are going into these races as motivated as ever. We’re trying to prepare ourselves in the best way. The drivers, they are both quite positive and we’ll try to maximise our performance.”
READ MORE – Why McLaren is optimistic it will avoid underwhelming F1 Las Vegas GP repeat in 2025
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