Wolff: Mercedes Must Crack McLaren’s Formula to Compete

Mercedes F1 Seeks McLaren’s Tire Secret to Close the Gap

17/03/2025

McLaren’s tire mastery has stunned F1 rivals. Mercedes, led by Toto Wolff, is determined to uncover the secret behind their performance edge.

Mercedes is on a mission to decode the impressive performance of McLaren, particularly when it comes to tire management. After McLaren’s dominant showing at the Australian Grand Prix, where they outpaced Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes, questions have emerged about what gives them the edge.

George Russell admitted that McLaren’s pace was so strong it made him think about shifting focus to the 2026 regulations. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff insists they are not giving up on the current season.

“Their advantage is huge, it’s impressive,” Wolff said after the race in Melbourne. “It reminds me of our dominant years when we would disappear into the distance. But you can never give up. This was just the first real race weekend. We finished third and fourth. Without Oscar Piastri’s mistake, we should have been fourth and fifth. But we are where we are, and that’s why we can’t take our foot off the gas.”

Wolff believes that McLaren’s secret lies in their superior tire management, allowing them to extract more performance over a race stint.

“We’re not losing because of downforce—it’s not a 20-point deficit in aero. It’s a mechanical issue. How can we keep the tires in the right window?”

Despite McLaren’s advantage, Mercedes is not shifting focus entirely toward 2026.

“This doesn’t change our priorities for 2026. We need to stay cool and keep pushing forward.”

McLaren’s Tire Mastery: The Key to Their Speed?

Both Wolff and Russell agree that McLaren’s ability to preserve its tires better than Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes is what sets them apart.

“I would have loved to fight them and Max Verstappen under normal conditions to see where we truly stand,” Wolff admitted. “But we struggle to keep the tires in the optimal performance window. McLaren does it better, and that’s why they’re faster. Our tires overheat, and it kills our pace. Red Bull has the same issue. Probably Ferrari too.”

Looking ahead, Wolff knows that solving this problem is crucial if Mercedes wants to compete for wins and championships.

“McLaren’s pace is simply outstanding. The one thing we need to figure out is how they manage their tires so well. That’s our challenge. If we want to fight for wins and the title on merit, this is where we need to improve.”

Mercedes now faces the task of cracking McLaren’s formula before the season slips away. The question remains—can they catch up?

Mercedes Seeks the Secret Behind McLaren’s Tire Mastery

Wolff: Mercedes Must Crack McLaren’s Tire Code to Compete Wolff: Mercedes Must Crack McLaren’s Tire Code to Compete

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21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
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21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
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22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
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2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
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Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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