Mercedes still chasing clarity amid Bahrain cold front - Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the Brackley squad is still uncertain whether it has fully addressed its car’s longstanding sensitivity to track conditions.

Speaking during the FIA team principal press conference on the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Wolff reflected on an unusually chilly environment that has thrown a curveball into their evaluations.

With Bahrain no longer hosting the season opener – Australia takes that honor on March 16 – the unrepresentative weather has left Wolff questioning whether Mercedes’ past advantage in cooler conditions remains intact or if their car is finally finding balance across a wider range of temperatures.

Historically, Mercedes has struggled with inconsistency under the ground effect regulations introduced in 2022, often flashing race-winning pace in practice only to fade over race weekends.

Last year, a clear pattern emerged: the team thrived in cooler conditions, such as Las Vegas, but faltered when the mercury rose.

Bahrain’s unexpected cold snap offered a theoretical edge, yet Wolff remains cautiously skeptical about their progress.

A Cool Test, But No Clear Answers

Addressing the untypically cold temperatures that have prevailed this week in Bahrain, Wolff jokingly suggested that Mercedes' W16 should be dominating the timesheets.

“Well, I am a bit worried at the moment because that should be conditions where we’re two seconds quicker than everyone else which was the only highlight last year in terms of performance in Las Vegas and we’re not,” he said.

The lack of a standout advantage has left him pondering two possibilities.

“Either way we’ve remedied the problem and we are more balanced through all the climatic conditions, or not. We had a laugh about whether we’ve lost some of that USP (unique selling point).”

The Brackley squad’s form in Bahrain hasn’t provided a definitive answer, with Wolff admitting the jury is still out.

The cooler-than-usual test has muddied the waters, making it difficult to gauge whether their development path has truly neutralized the car’s temperature sensitivity.

Chasing Predictability Amid Unrepresentative Conditions

Despite the ambiguity, Wolff sees glimmers of progress in tackling another persistent issue: the car’s unpredictability.

Mercedes’ 2024 campaign was plagued by a machine that could dazzle in one session and disappoint in the next, regardless of track conditions, often leaving drivers and engineers scrambling.

Wolff believes they’ve taken strides – however small – toward a more consistent platform.

“I think sometimes you take junctions which go in the wrong direction,” he noted. “Maybe yesterday we tried something in the afternoon which didn’t function.

“It’s about having a car that gives more confidence and that was the thing we were missing last year. It was unpredictable and that seems a tiny step ahead.”

Yet, he tempered this optimism with a nod to the testing environment’s limitations.

“Like all of you said, we have no idea about fuel loads. Yesterday [on day one], Norris was on a different planet. Very, very good. Lewis, this morning [on day two]. Sainz on the C2 tyre was very impressive so you really have no idea.

“The conditions are totally not representative.”

These variables—rival performance, fuel unknowns, and atypical weather—complicate any firm conclusions about Mercedes’ standing.

With Australia’s warmer climate looming, the opening race will serve as a critical litmus test. For now, Wolff and his squad can only hypothesize—have they lost their edge in the cold, or gained a broader balance? Only time, and a few more laps, will tell.

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