Toto Wolff has intimated Mercedes won’t attempt to replicate the rear braking system used by McLaren, which has helped the team sit atop both Formula 1 championships.
The German marque has managed a reasonable start to the 2025 campaign, with George Russell finishing no lower than fifth in all but one of the seven races contested.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has also been given an opportunity to shine in his rookie year, the Italian taking a mesmeric pole position for the Miami Sprint.
But Mercedes, like its rivals, has largely struggled to keep up with the might of the McLaren, the Woking-based squad having secured five race victories to date.
One of the MCL39’s key strengths has been its ability to keep tyre temperatures cool, drawing suspicion from its rivals, including Red Bull.
After allegedly filing a complaint against McLaren over the alleged illegality of the brake ducts last year, Red Bull is now reportedly seeking ways to replicate it.
Whilst denying Mercedes would do anything to take a similar approach, Wolff said there is always room for admiration and knowledge when teams produce something innovative.
“No, I think we’ve said that you’ve got to take it on the chin if somebody’s done some good engineering,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week.
“There’s a technical team around, and these guys, they have no doubt there is the ability of being not in a legal place, so it’s just you’ve got to look and learn and try to understand.”
Aston Martin says ‘silver bullet for performance’ is rare
Aston Martin Team Principal Andy Cowell was similarly positive about McLaren’s design as he expressed that his team is aiming to adopt a similar “attention to detail”.
“I guess we’ve all experienced success, and we know that it’s very rare that there’s any sort of silver bullet for performance,” he expanded.
“It’s attention to detail everywhere, and I think that’s McLaren’s secret at the moment.
“They’ve just chased everything really well and pulled it together, so that’s the mission that we’re taking on – to catch up.”
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