Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff has expressed confidence in the upcoming upgrades to the team’s car for the Miami race following a difficult 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 fresher tires, while Hamilton was unable to put pressure on Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Wolff acknowledged that Mercedes’ performance was disappointing compared to its 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 it’s lacking pace. So we gotta dig deep. We have something coming for Miami that looks like a good step. Let’s see where that brings us out.” When asked about the potential lap time gains from the upgrades, 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 shock elimination in Q1 due to a mistake at Turn 14 and an overly aggressive setup. Wolff acknowledged that the team had made mistakes with the car, stating, “No, no, it’s not an OK car. I think we can see what the mistakes were that we did on the car… That was maybe a step too far.”
Hamilton also voiced his dissatisfaction with the car’s balance during the race, echoing the concerns seen in the data. Wolff added, “Also the race car was not fast… It just 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 some step forward coming in the next race… and just try and position the car better for Miami.”