Summer report card: from top of the class to the team that must do better

Mercedes enters the stretch as the clear pace-setter, with eight wins from 11 meetings and a constructors’ lead over Ferrari by 72 points. The team’s hybrid power unit is described as the class of the field, even after an engine assessment that favored Red Bull based on combustion output alone. Mercedes’ main concern has been reliability, but the car has repeatedly shown it can perform across most track types when it runs in clean air and uses its electric deployment efficiently. Kimi Antonelli, the new standout, has delivered five straight wins plus one in Spa, and leads the world championship by 50 points over Lewis Hamilton.