F1 News: Toto Wolff wants IMMEDIATE Mercedes progress at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Toto Wolff angrily looks at George Russell — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Wolff wants IMMEDIATE Mercedes progress in Saudi

Toto Wolff is hopeful that Mercedes will bounce back in Saudi Arabia

Shay Rogers

Thursday 7 March 2024 12:44

Toto Wolff is hopeful that Mercedes will make immediate progress at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a slow start to the 2024 Formula 1 season.

After getting their cooling configuration wrong, the team were well off the pace during the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix

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The Silver Arrows were losing plenty of time due to the ‘lift and coasting’ technique that the drivers were forced to do to cool the car down - which, at times, cooled the tyres too much and lost them further time on track, as they struggled to obtain the optimum grip from their cold rubber.

Lewis Hamilton even drove half the race in midair after his seat broke in half, leaving room for plenty of improvement before they arrive in Jeddah.

Toto Wolff has been Mercedes team principal since 2013

Mercedes have made progress over the winter

Wolff: An opportunity to make progress

Speaking about his hopes for the team this weekend, Wolff confirmed that progress is the main aim of the weekend as they continue to learn about the W15.

“We have an opportunity to make progress immediately,” he said. “Jeddah is a very fast urban circuit. It will be good to continue our learning with the new car on a circuit very different from that of Bahrain.

“We will aim for a more consistent weekend, and we will seek to understand our true performance compared to the rest of the grid.”

One downside to the Corniche Circuit is its high-speed characteristics which will inevitably favour Mercedes’ rivals like Red Bull and Ferrari.

They don’t have the strongest engine, nor the most aerodynamically efficient package, meaning that they may not be able to make as many inroads as they would at a track like Barcelona.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff Bahrain Grand Prix Saudi Arabian Grand Prix