Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has “no confidence” Mercedes will be a title-contending🍨 team in 2025.

Mercedes endured their wo✨rst season in well over a decade in 2024, finishing fourth i🔯n the F1 constructors’ Championship.

While Mercedes were able to take four victories - two apiece for 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton - their form was incredibly inconsistent.

It c💫ontinues a pattern from the start of the current set of rules in 2022, with Mercedes failing to grasp what’s required to be consistently quick at the front of F1.

Palmer, who raced for Renault in 2016 and 201🔴7, doubts Mercedes will get their♉ act together in 2025.

“Las Vegasཧ was the one where they had the bꦛest car. But Vegas is a freak circuit. It’s conditions that you don’t get anywhere else,” Palmer explained on BBC's Chequered Flag podcast.

“Even Qatar was chilly the week after. It 🗹wasn’t Vegas level of cold. And they weren’t in the same ballparꦓk.

“I just think with every year, 22 was a head-scratcher. They came on strong. Russell won the race in Brazil. And you thought, ‘okay, maybe they’ve learnt for 23𒀰.’ No, 23 was a head-scratcher. And then they came on strong. And Hamilton was good at the end of the year and had good races in Austin and the like, finished third in the championship.

“And you thought, ‘okay, 24, this is going to be their year.’ Now, 24 has been a head-scratcher. And then Hamilton and Russell come on strong at the end of the year in Vegas. And y♈ou think, ‘okay, they’ll get it for 25.’ You get my drift. I have no confidence it’s going to happen, but we will see.”

A new era for Mercedes

2025 will be a new era for Merc☂edes, given it’s their first season without ꦡHamilton since 2012.

18-year-old wonderkid Andrea Kimi Antonelli maꦐkes the step up from Formula 2, while Russell wil♕l be Mercedes’ natural team leader.

With the rules remaining stable over the winter, it’s set ꧋to be an exciting battle at the front between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

Mercedes will be hoping to find much-needed consistency over the winter to close the gap 🌳to the top threeꦆ.

Regar🃏dless, they will be pinning their hopes on 2026 and the new engine rules.