Toto Wolff hopeful Mercedes perform ‘closer to true potential’ in Saudi Arabia

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff is hopeful his team will “take a step forward immediately” in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

Mercedes endured an “underwhelming” season-opening Bahrain, finishing fifth and seventh.

While Mercedes’ race was compromised by an overheating power unit, due to a mistake with their cooling on the W15, it seemed they were the third-fastest team in Bahrain behind Red Bull and Ferrari.

Reflecting on Bahrain, Wolff said: “Our race in Bahrain was best described as underwhelming. We were hopeful of a stronger showing after our performance in practice and qualifying. 

“Both drivers were pleased with the balance earlier in the weekend, and the more stable platform provided by the W15.

“Unfortunately on Saturday evening, our cooling performance didn't match our predictions. That forced us into management mode early on, which had the knock-on impact of reducing tyre temperatures below optimum.

“That cost us the opportunity to show something closer to our true potential. It was a frustrating way to start the season but one we will learn from.”

Wolff is confident Mercedes will take a step forward as they continue to learn about their new challenger.

“We've got an opportunity to take a step forward immediately. Jeddah is a street track with a lot of high-speed content,” he added. 

“It will be good to continue our learning with the new car on a very different circuit to Bahrain. We will be aiming for a more consistent weekend and to understand our true performance relative to the rest of the grid.”

Mercedes haven’t finished on the podium in Jeddah since 2021, winning the race with Lewis Hamilton.