Toto Wolff spoke to the media ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 2025 season.
The Bahrain weekend was a tale of two halves for Mercedes, with George Russell finishing the race with a brilliant second place, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli failed to break into the points due to poor strategy choices and a Safety Car that worked against the young driver from Bologna. The Silver Arrows are still proving to be the second strongest team on the grid, but every Grand Prix is key to understanding how soon they might be able to close the gap to McLaren.
Speaking at the team’s regular press session, Toto Wolff analyzed the current situation and Mercedes’ efforts to catch up with the Papaya squad. These were his words: “Even though we were encouraged by our performance in Bahrain, Jeddah presents a different challenge. We’re moving from a rear-limited circuit to a front-limited one, with a mix of high- and medium-speed sections. It would be foolish to try and predict the pecking order, but we’re aiming to fight for the podium once again. As for the W16, there’s still a lot of work to do before we can consistently fight for wins, but we’re on the right path. The potential is there, and we’ll keep pushing to close the gap to the front.”
Wolff also looked back at the Bahrain weekend, analyzing the race performance: “The Bahrain Grand Prix was quite eventful. George had to deal with several technical issues on the car but still managed to secure a fantastic second place, his third podium of the season—both personally and for the team. He drove flawlessly under pressure, supported by the team’s calm and effective handling of the situation. We’re investigating the cause of the malfunctions closely to make sure they don’t happen again.”
He also spoke about Antonelli and his early impact this season: “Given his performances so far, it’s easy to forget that Kimi is still at the beginning of his Formula 1 journey. Bahrain will be a key step in his growth and development, and we’re confident he’ll continue progressing with determination and consistency.”
Now, the team is preparing for the final race of the first triple-header, in Saudi Arabia. Despite the encouraging results in Sakhir, Wolff emphasized that Jeddah will present a completely different challenge: “We’re going from a circuit that stresses the rear of the car to one that puts the front under pressure, with a mix of fast stretches and more technical sections. It’s too early to make any predictions, but our goal remains to fight for the podium.”
