The Mercedes Formula One Team entered the 2025 Formula 1 season under immense pressure. Still struggling to master the ground-effect regulations introduced in 2022, the team faced a defining transition year. For the first time in over a decade, Mercedes lined up without seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who made his high-profile move to Scuderia Ferrari, leaving a leadership vacuum at Brackley.

That vacuum placed George Russell firmly in the spotlight. Tasked with becoming Mercedes’ lead driver, Russell faced the biggest test of his Formula 1 career. Alongside him was teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli, promoted as part of a bold long-term gamble that could either accelerate the rebuild or expose the team’s instability.

Instead, Mercedes delivered its strongest campaign of the post-2021 era. Russell secured two race victories and nine podium finishes, demonstrating consistency and control under pressure, while Antonelli emerged as one of the standout rookies of 2025 with three podiums of his own. Together, they powered Mercedes to second place in the Constructors’ Championship, re-establishing the team as a genuine front-runner.

Off track, the drama was just as intense. Speculation mounted when Team Principal Toto Wolff was linked with a potential pursuit of Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing. Contract rumours swirled around Russell before he ultimately secured an extension, raising questions about team hierarchy and long-term stability.

With sweeping new Formula 1 regulations arriving in 2026, the biggest question now looms: can Mercedes convert momentum into dominance and return to championship-winning form?

Featuring real race commentary, driver clips, and in-depth performance analysis, this episode breaks down Mercedes’ 2025 season and what it all means for the future of the Silver Arrows.

About the Series: Over ten episodes, Grand Pricks explores every 2025 Formula 1 team in depth, unpacking the drama, decisions, and defining moments, both on track and behind closed doors. Starting from last place in the Constructors' Championship to first, we reveal the stories you didn't see on race day.

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