Mercedes’ Toto Wolff: “The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging”

Toto Wolff believes the progress made by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was encouraging to see, and he hopes for more this weekend in Australia.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in a much-improved performance from the W14, the team having struggled more with it in the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks earlier.

Wolff, the Team Principal at Mercedes, says the battle behind Oracle Red Bull Racing is tight between a number of teams, and small margins could dictate who finishes on the podium at Albert Park.

“The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging,” said Wolff.  “We maximised the package we had and scored some solid points.

“More importantly, we continued to learn and understand more about the W14 and our development direction. Everyone back at base has been hard at work to turn these learnings into performance.

“The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising. We have got to take it step by step, though, and won’t get carried away until we see performance translated into lap time on track.

“The competitive order behind Red Bull is tight, with small margins having a big effect on points scored. There remains a significant gap to the front and that is ultimately what we are interested in closing.”

Wolff says everyone at Mercedes are looking forward to the race weekend in Australia, but they will need to be on the ball to maximise their potential with the W14 if they wish to improve on their Saudi Arabia result.

“We are looking forward to Australia,” Wolff added.  “It’s a country serious about its motorsport with a great racing tradition, and the fans are super passionate.

“Albert Park is a circuit with unique characteristics, which we will have to work hard to adapt to with the W14. As always, we will look to maximise the car we have, and score as many points as our potential currently allows.

“We are not where we want to be – but that won’t stop us from racing hard and giving it everything we’ve got.”