Mercedes entered the summer break as the leader in both championships, but technical director James Allison is not entirely satisfied despite the strong starting position. The Silberpfeile have a 72-point lead in the constructors’ championship after eleven Grands Prix, while Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings with a margin of 50 points. However, Allison believes that Mercedes, given the car’s speed, has dropped points.
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Mercedes started the season particularly strong and won the first six Grands Prix, but then the winning streak stalled. In the following five Grands Prix, the team only secured two victories. Reliability issues especially cost Mercedes points. George Russell retired in Canada while leading, and Kimi Antonelli lost his second place in Barcelona due to a late technical failure. Mercedes later determined that problems with the new power unit’s battery were at the root.
Mixed feelings at Mercedes
The problems were not limited to the factory team, as Mercedes customer teams also faced reliability issues. Team principal Toto Wolff had already warned that Mercedes cannot continue to fight for world titles this way. For Allison, this makes the current lead both impressive and frustrating. “It may sound a bit rude, but I am probably not as satisfied as I would like to be,” Allison said in an episode of Mercedes’ own podcast.
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“If someone had offered us that position before the start of the season, I would have taken it immediately,” he assured. Yet the difference between the car’s speed and the final points haul bothers Allison. “But given the competitiveness of the car we have had this year, I think we should have scored more points.” This results in mixed feelings within Mercedes heading into the second half of the season. The lead in both championships offers an excellent starting position, but the team knows it cannot afford new reliability problems. “There is a certain degree of frustration about that within the team. At the same time, it means we are looking forward to the second half of the season and the chance to make up for some of those missed opportunities.”
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