Mercedes’ 2025 Prospects and Monaco’s Enduring Place in F1

Max Verstappen is nearing his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship as Formula 1 heads to Las Vegas for the first of three races concluding the 2024 season. The Dutch driver holds a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris and will secure the world title if he maintains a lead of at least 60 points after the Las Vegas event. BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson addresses inquiries regarding key topics in the sport ahead of the Vegas Grand Prix. Laura asks: Is there any optimism for Mercedes in 2025 considering their limited advancement over the past three years? Mercedes has experienced another challenging year. From one perspective, it has been their most successful under the regulations introduced in 2022, with three race victories, compared to one in 2022 and none last year. Conversely, it could be seen as their least successful, as they are projected to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship, having placed third in 2022 and second in 2023. These three victories occurred within a sequence of four races. Two were achieved purely on merit: Lewis Hamilton’s wins in Britain and Belgium. In fact, Mercedes secured a first and second place finish in Belgium, only for George Russell to be disqualified from victory due to his car being underweight. The third win was obtained by Russell after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided while competing for the lead in Austria.