Wolff reveals “open and honest” talks | “Small” upgrades not “game changers"

Mercedes came away from Bahrain with the fourth-fastest car behind Red Bull, Aston Martin and Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton finished a distant fifth, while George Russell was seventh after being beaten by Lance Stroll.

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The W14’s lack of speed resulted in rare criticism from Hamilton, while Wolff hinted that Mercedes may need to move to a completely new car concept later in the season.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Wolff said: “Our performance in Bahrain wasn't where we want it to be. But this is the position we find ourselves in and it is already full steam ahead on the car, understanding it and working to get it in a better place. That's an exciting challenge for all of us. 

“Since Bahrain, we have had open and honest discussions from which we started to plan our fight back. In the short term, leaving no stone unturned in the search for performance. In the longer term, focusing our development to determine how we get to the front. 

“I've already felt the energy and determination in the factory and know that will continue moving forward.”

Wolff revealed that Mercedes will introduce a number of “small developments to the car” in Jeddah.

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“Anything can happen in motor racing, so we'll be working in Jeddah to maximise every part of our performance, chasing every point, every position, and every millisecond,” he added. “That's one of the huge strengths of our driver line-up with Lewis and George. We are racers and giving everything we've got, every time we go on track. 

“This weekend in Saudi Arabia we will learn more about W14, its characteristics and its limitations. It provides a very different test to Bahrain, and it will be interesting to see how the car reacts. We are bringing some small developments to the car: they won't be game changers, but they can start moving us in the right direction. 

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“And we'll be pushing as hard as we can to create opportunities, and hopefully will give us a better account of ourselves than in Bahrain.”