Mercedes faced a tough weekend when their new car upgrades didn’t work as planned. George Russell ended up in sixth place after starting from the pits due to a crash, while Lewis Hamilton spun out early after beginning at the back of the grid. Both drivers struggled with their car’s balance, leaving the team feeling down despite having won three races this season. After everything settled, Toto Wolff shared his thoughts on what went wrong.
The team had hoped that their updates would boost performance for the rest of the season. Currently sitting fourth in the constructors’ championship, Mercedes is 200 points behind McLaren. Their position seems set, and instead of going back to old ways, Wolff believes sticking with the new upgrades will eventually pay off.
Wolff: ‘No point in ditching the upgrade’
“We don’t think there’s a big problem with our upgrade,” Wolff explained. “It’s more about how it interacts with aero and mechanical parts. We need to keep using it because otherwise, we’re missing out on lap time. But we also have to stay open-minded.” He noted that George used an older upgrade and did well in the race, but qualifying was still tricky.
Fans might wonder if sticking with these changes is a smart move or just wishful thinking.
There’s still much for Mercedes to figure out. Wolff is sure they could have been on pole before Franco Colapinto’s spin changed things. “On Friday, we were fastest before that happened,” he said. “But by Saturday, everything changed again.” In Saturday’s sprint race, Russell came fifth and Hamilton sixth.
Mercedes Must Solve Its Inconsistencies
Since 2022, Mercedes has struggled with ground-effect cars and hasn’t looked like their old winning selves. They’re hoping for improvements by 2026 when regulations change again. “I’m usually optimistic but skeptical too,” Wolff admitted. “We’ve had this mindset for years—it’s never good enough. Now we need to solve these inconsistencies.”
Yet, there’s some comfort knowing that even top teams like McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari experience ups and downs too. Wolff concluded by observing patterns across different teams’ performances.
What do you think? Will sticking with these upgrades help Mercedes bounce back?
