F1 boss Toto Wolff angry after 'worst' Mercedes race at Bahrain Grand Prix

Mercedes

Toto Wolff angry after 'worst' Mercedes race at Bahrain Grand Prix

It's not nice when someone else has a faster car, is it?

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 4 October 2026 16:58 Updated: 17:13

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Toto Wolff was left fuming after Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw his drivers running second and third late in the race before George Russell's power unit sputtered and died.

Kimi Antonelli still came home in second place, but the Austrian team boss raged at both his team's lack of pace in the fight compared to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and the reliability issues which cost Russell and the team 15 valuable points.

Hamilton's race was ruined at the very start when his team opted for slick tyres on the drying track, putting him more than a minute back at one point, but a timely safety car bunch the pack up and allowed him to show Ferrari's impressive raw pace as he scythed through the field, even looking as through he might be able to challenge Antonelli for second after a late restart.

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Wolff had cut a frustrated figure on Saturday too, with the upgrades brought to Sepang not performing in the way that the team expected – as he said, 'you're expecting three tenths to kick in, and it looks like three or four or five tenths backwards'.

F1 RESULTS: Lewis Hamilton produces stunning comeback after Bahrain Grand Prix chaos in Malaysia

Wolff 'not in a happy place' after Sepang issues

Speaking to Sky shortly after his young championship leader claimed his 13th podium finish of the season, Wolff said: “So massively annoyed and not in a in a happy place. First of all we didn't have the speed that we were hoping to have before the weekend. So there's a lot of homework to be done in order to recover, which I'm sure we will.

“Then the race literally went – if you consider the fight with with Lewis behind – went against us. With such an advantage: one VLC, two safety cars. I mean, you couldn't be more unlucky.

“And to make things worse, the PU failure with a few laps to go to the end with George, which is terrible for his championship and not good at all for our constructor points. So, as much as I love to be here, when I look at the pure races, one of my worst experiences, to be honest."

Wolff backs Mercedes to bounce back

The Austrian wasn't all doom and gloom though, taking time in amongst his complaints to admit that his mood is 'lifted' by knowing that he has a strong team working to turn things around.

“[Kimi] scored a few more points than Lewis behind him, and I'm happy because he did the job. But it's just you know this overarching topic, the DNFs, that could cost us dearly also for the remaining seven races.

“A championship is quickly turned around against you if you have a DNF, and that's why that can't continue. Yeah, I think we have a good action plan. James [Allison] is really fully on top of it with his leadership team, and you know this.

“You see that lifts my mood because I know with such a tremendous group of people, and the same way as we have with HPP, they're gonna sort it out. But that gives me real relief for the moment to know they are the best, and they they are gonna find find solution, and I think we will come back strong.”

F1 HEADLINES: Fans slam Bahrain Grand Prix 's***show' as FIA forced into late grid change in Malaysia