P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes qualified fourth and 11th on the grid in Abu Dhabi – despite strong pace in practice.
Toto Wolff expressed frustration with Mercedes’ poor qualifying performance in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and stated that he is tired of making excuses for the team’s underperformance. Despite topping the timesheets in FP1 and FP3, George Russell only managed to qualify fourth, while Lewis Hamilton struggled and qualified 11th. The team has decided to replace the current car concept for next season, as Wolff has run out of ways to defend the flawed W14 after inconsistent performances. Wolff admitted that the car didn’t perform well in the cold conditions and that the team had previously struggled in hot conditions. He expressed relief that this was the last qualifying of the season and looks forward to returning next year with a new car.
