Mercedes struggles to be satisfied with its weekend at Suzuka

The first Grand Prix of the season on abrasive asphalt accompanied by high temperatures, Bahrain should be different from China and Japan in terms of tire management. Thus, the Sakhir circuit will be an important test for Mercedes who, last year, was not comfortable with the meetings meeting these conditions.

« Bahrain will be another test of the progress we have made with this year's car, said Toto Wolf, It's an aggressive circuit for the rear tires, with an abrasive surface, and we usually see high track temperatures. This puts a lot of strain on the tires and is the type of track we struggled on last year."

German mentality

Mercedes has been a discreet team since the start of the season. Unlike McLaren, she has not yet stepped onto the top step of the podium. Unlike Red Bull, she did not make a splash. And, unlike Ferrari, its debut was not negative enough for the media to analyze its performance at length and in breadth.

Yet, beneath this discretion lie promising results and Mercedes is scoring, weekend after weekend, valuable points allowing it to move into second place in the Constructors' Championship, 36 points behind McLaren. This feat, the German team owes in part to its British driver, George Russell, who is able to get the most out of his car since the start of the season. It also owes this to its desire to grab every available point and maximize every result. A telling example: the German team's frustration following the Silver Arrows' fifth and sixth positions at the Suzuka circuit.

« Japan is an example of what could have been, Toto Wolf said, implying a missed opportunity to score more points. We showed good pace throughout practice, but we were unable to translate this into qualifying performance. This compromised our chances of achieving a good result on Sunday. complained the Austrian. There are, however, some positives to take away from this weekend. The car once again showed its potential and, if we had been more precise, a podium finish would have been possible."

With 75 points on the board, Mercedes are currently in their best start to a campaign since 2021.

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