A Thrilling F1 Era Following Mercedes' Double Championship

Mercedes made its mark on the first generation of Formula 1's new rules era, winning two championships at once. Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion in F1 history in Mexico. A week later, his team secured the Constructors' Championship in Brazil, achieving this before entering the remaining three races.

Mercedes won the first six races of the season, putting it ahead of its rivals. The rivals then closed the gap. Mercedes won six more races. McLaren's Lando Norris and Red Bull's Max Verstappen each won three races. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc each won one race, and they could have won more.

The championship came in a rather unimpressive way for Mercedes. Antonelli finished fifth at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with teammate George Russell one place ahead of him. Including Norris's win, Mercedes managed to win only one of the last five races.

Speaking after the race, Toto Wolff said he believed a much tougher competitive period was beginning. Wolff noted that teams had become far more professional in terms of resources and talent, and argued that such one-sided seasons would no longer be seen. In his view, when an upgrade fails to deliver the expected effect, a team can fall back within a few races. Wolff said this was great for the future of the sport.

Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors' championships in the period when hybrid power units were introduced in 2014. That season it won the first six races and also won the last seven. However, at that time Mercedes had a major advantage over rival power unit suppliers, and this was the main reason for its long period of dominance. Today's picture involves different factors.