Toto Wolff: “Something else is happening” after qualifying difficulties in Bahrain

October 3, 2026 9 Min Read

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Mercedes brought a substantial upgrade package to Sepang for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, and the pace was expected to be strong for the Silver Arrows. Kimi Antonelli showed something special after dominating FP3, but qualifying proved difficult. Toto Wolff thinks there is “something else” going on that is hampering his team’s rhythm.

Championship leader Antonelli qualified on the second row while George Russell will start a disappointing eighth (both drivers will move up one place after Isack Hadjar’s grid penalty is applied). After what has been a rather dominant season for Mercedes, this comes as a surprise to the team boss.

‘Very difficult to understand,’ he told Sky Sports F1. “We were a little surprised on Friday with car behavior that we haven’t seen all year. But we can say it’s very tough because the tarmac is very different from all the tracks.”

“It looks really good this morning. You know, we seem to have at least taken a step forward with Kimi in understanding. Qualifying was a little bit back to what we had seen before, but no performance.”

He was also insisted on the behavior of the car that he meant.

“It looks like we’re very dragging, because it’s the first time we’ve lost a lot of time on the straights, especially because of Max (Verstappen). And then at low speeds. In turn 2, we’re not able to turn the car. There’s just too much understeer. So overall, we haven’t seen that all year.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

Mercedes machines have been very effective on power-focused circuits this season, with the W17 boasting a powerful power unit and impressive straight-line performance. For this reason, the upgrade package is singled out.

“There’s something else going on. And we need to understand. Now it’s about analyzing the data and thinking together because we still believe the upgrade works. We just need to understand why not here.”

The abrasive track surface and the heat could also be contributing factors, but it is the extent of this lack of pace that worries the Austrian.

“It’s so different, but nevertheless, anyway, you expect three tenths to come into play and it feels like three, four or five tenths back the first time we miss the first three on the track. It’s very tough, but I guess we’ll find the solution.”

With tire degradation another weakness felt by the silver team this race weekend, this could be a tough race for its drivers.

“No, I’m never positive,” Wolff said when asked if Sunday’s race pace might look better than those qualifying results suggest. “Even if you had put him on pole by five tenths, I wouldn’t have been exuberant for tomorrow.

“I have no idea what to expect from the race tomorrow with the heat. It could be better, it could be worse. Now it’s about understanding what the car is doing.”