P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Toto Wolff has detailed his worry after making a “two-second” claim about Mercedes in pre-season testing.
Toto Wolff expressed concern over Mercedes’ performance during F1 pre-season testing, stating they should have been “two seconds” quicker than the competition. The cold and rainy conditions in Bahrain impacted the team’s testing schedule, with rain interrupting running on Thursday morning. Mercedes previously excelled in cold conditions in 2024, as seen in George Russell’s pole position in Canada and dominant win in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Despite Russell setting the fastest time on Friday, the team did not have the same advantage in cold weather as in 2024, raising worries for Wolff. He mentioned the need for the team to improve its performance consistency across various climate conditions and expressed uncertainty about their competitiveness due to factors like fuel loads and non-representative testing conditions.
