Wolff puzzled after Mercedes loses pace in Bahrain qualifying
Mercedes arrived with a significant upgrade package and showed promising speed in practice, but the team then struggled in qualifying. Toto Wolff said he was confused by the drop-off and pointed to drag and low-speed corner weakness after the changes.
Mercedes brought a substantial upgrade package for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix and appeared set for a strong weekend. Kimi Antonelli underlined that potential by topping FP3, while expectations were that the update could deliver a notable performance gain.
Instead, Mercedes ran into problems in qualifying. Toto Wolff said the team was confused by the sudden loss of pace and suggested that "something else" may be affecting the car's performance.
Wolff also said the updated car was too draggy and weak in low-speed corners after the changes made in Malaysia. He said Mercedes had expected to gain around three tenths from the upgrade, but instead lost five tenths.
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