Mercedes boss pinpoints one area where the German team has to improve compared to McLaren and Red Bull

Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff believed that tire management was the key area, where his team lags behind McLaren and Red Bull. Speaking to the media after the Australian GP, the Austrian noted that both the rival teams were able to extract more performance by managing their tires better.

McLaren secured victory with Lando Norris and nearly claimed second place with Oscar Piastri until his off-track excursion. Despite struggling in Friday’s practice sessions, Red Bull managed to finish second with Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Mercedes lacked the outright pace to challenge either team.

George Russell finished third, with rookie Kimi Antonelli in fourth, but neither had the speed to overtake their rivals on the track. Wolff admitted that Red Bull and McLaren handle tire degradation more effectively, whereas Mercedes struggled to keep the tires in the optimal operating window due to overheating. He also pointed out that Red Bull’s turnaround from Friday to Sunday was encouraging, highlighting an area where Mercedes must improve if they want to challenge Verstappen and McLaren.

Speaking about Mercedes' performance in comparison to Red Bull and McLaren, Wolff said, via Pit Debrief:

“P3 and P5, that’s the result. If you look at the real pace today, pace result would be P4, P5, and I think it’s a solid first weekend. But looking at it always from the glass-half-empty side, you have to say that the pace of the McLaren is just very strong. Something which we need to understand [is] the way they are able to manage the tires and extract performance from these. We need to get better if we want to fight on merit for race victories and for a championship.

“How [Red Bull] managed to turn around a non-performing car from the Friday to the Saturday [is] something which you always need to bear in mind. They hit the sweet spot there. I think when you look at the pecking order in terms of tire management, it’s McLaren, then it’s Red Bull and then it’s us this weekend.”

Shedding light on what it will take for Mercedes to beat McLaren or Verstappen, Wolff said:

“I think we would have wished to have a fight with the McLarens and with Verstappen under normal conditions. We have a deficit in keeping the tires in the window. They are able to do that better and get faster, and with us we’re seeing a degradation because they’re simply getting too hot. That’s why I would have liked to be a bit closer to them, but that’s the reality.”

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Toto Wolff feels McLaren's pace is reminiscent of Mercedes's dominant era

Toto Wolff also believed that McLaren’s advantage over the field was reminiscent of Mercedes’ dominant era in F1. However, he emphasized that it’s still early in the season, and his team must keep improving to become genuine front-runners.

The 50-year-old team principal dismissed concerns about Mercedes being aerodynamically inefficient and suggested that they might have mechanical issues to address, particularly in tire management.

With major engine and aerodynamic regulation changes coming in 2026, teams are balancing resources between their 2025 and 2026 projects. Wolff insisted this hasn’t shifted Mercedes’ priorities, but they must continue developing their current car to stay competitive.

Speaking of the pecking order and McLaren’s pace being the benchmark, the Mercedes boss said, via the aforementioned source:

“It’s an impressive gap. It’s reminiscent to these years where we just wanted to disappear into the distance, but you must never give up. We’ve just done the first race weekend, we’ve finished third and fifth. It would have been fourth and fifth on merit, but we are where we are and that’s why you can never take your foot off the throttle.

Despite Wolff’s concerns about tire management, Mercedes are tied with McLaren at 27 points in the standings. While Norris’ victory secured 25 points for McLaren, Piastri’s ninth-place finish added only two more. The chaotic conditions in Melbourne shuffled the championship order, making it an unreliable indicator of true performance. However, the upcoming races in Shanghai and Suzuka should provide a clearer picture of the competitive pecking order.