Wolff certifies the Mercedes crisis: “Half a second lost in 3 corners”

Mercedes fifth strength in Jeddah

Sixth place with George Russell behind client teams such as McLaren (fourth with Oscar Piastri) and Aston Martin (fifth with Fernando Alonso). If in Bahrain the Mercedes had had promising elements such as the start of George Russell capable of lifting himself to second place, then frustrated by overheating problems in Saudi Arabia, the verdict that emerged certifies a Mercedes in difficulty.

“It's clear that we have problems with the car in high-speed corners – has explained Toto Wolff – we are competitive elsewhere, but in three corners here we lost about half a second. It was therefore incredibly difficult for the pilots to attack. We tried something different in the strategy, but unfortunately, with the low levels of degradation we saw, it didn't help much to diversify the tactics. Congratulations go to Ollie Bearman, who got into the car at such short notice and drove a great race, especially in the final stint. It is proof of how high the level of Formula 2 is.”

“We hoped for a second Safety Car or a Virtual Safety Car – he added Lewis Hamilton – unfortunately there was no other neutralization and the tactic of extending the first stint didn't pay off, making us lose ground compared to the starting position. It was still worth trying something different. We gave everything we had, and this was probably the best result we could have achieved today, given how the race went. The car was quite good in medium and low speed corners, but lost in high speed corners. The next races will be difficult, but we will work hard to improve as much as possible.”

“I did almost 40 laps within 1.5 seconds of Fernando Alonso, but I wasn't able to overtake him – the analysis of George Russell – the car was too nervous in the high-speed corners and I couldn't get close to put pressure on it. In general, however, we need to find a little more performance. It is clear that we have not yet found the right window to make the machine work, the potential available is decidedly greater than what has been expressed up to now.”