P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Wolff: Mercedes F1 engine issues cost 0.5s per lap in Bahrain
George Russell led the Silver Arrows charge with a fifth-place finish in Bahrain, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton came in seventh after starting from ninth on the grid. Russell briefly moved up to second place before facing power unit issues that forced him to adopt fuel-saving measures. Hamilton was also affected by a cracked seat during the season-opener. The engine problems not only impacted Mercedes but also their customer team, Williams, causing issues for drivers Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff attributed the performance drop-off to engine overheating and battery problems, resulting in a lap time loss of over half a second. Wolff expressed confidence that these issues would be resolved before the next race in Saudi Arabia.
