The head of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, Toto Wolff, expressed confidence in the team’s upcoming car updates for the Miami race after a tough Chinese Grand Prix. Despite the team’s efforts, George Russell finished in sixth place and Lewis Hamilton in ninth. Russell struggled to challenge Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, even with newer tires, while Hamilton was unable to pressure Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Wolff acknowledged that Mercedes’ performance was disappointing compared to their competitors and revealed that improvements will be introduced for the next race in Miami.
Wolff admitted that the team’s overall position was not satisfactory and emphasized the need for improvement. He stated, “P6 and P10 [sic], but we’re missing speed. So we have to dig deep. We have something coming for Miami that looks like a good step. Let’s see where that takes us.” When asked about the potential time gains per lap from the updates, Wolff remained cautious, saying, “Let’s see, hopefully a bit.”
The Chinese Grand Prix weekend initially showed promise for Mercedes, as Hamilton took advantage of the circumstances to secure second place in the Sprint. However, he faced a shocking elimination in Q1 due to a mistake at Turn 14 and an overly aggressive setup. Wolff acknowledged that the team made mistakes with the car, stating, “No, it’s not an OK car. I think we can see what the mistakes were that we made on the car… That maybe was a step too far.”
Hamilton also expressed his dissatisfaction with the balance of the car during the race, echoing the concerns seen in the data. Wolff added: “Also the race car was not fast… It simply wasn’t the right thing to do.” Despite the challenges, Hamilton expressed gratitude for scoring points and shared his optimism about the upcoming updates, stating: “I think we have a breakthrough coming in the next race… and just try to position the car better for Miami.”
