Mercedes still assessing Bahrain upgrade after difficult weekend
Mercedes left Bahrain with unanswered questions over its latest car upgrade after a difficult qualifying showing and broader pace struggles. The team introduced a substantial aerodynamic package, but lacked a direct old-versus-new comparison on track because both cars ran the updated specification.
Mercedes came away from the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend still uncertain about the impact of its latest update package. George Russell described the situation as a "big question mark" after the team struggled for pace, with reports describing it as Mercedes' toughest qualifying performance of the Formula 1 season so far.
The update introduced in Bahrain was a substantial aerodynamic package. According to reports, Mercedes committed to running it on both cars, which meant it could not carry out back-to-back comparisons between the old and new specifications in identical conditions.
That lack of a direct comparison has made the assessment more difficult, especially as multiple factors were said to have contributed to the disappointing result. While some reports suggested the upgrade has not necessarily missed the mark, Mercedes was still searching for clearer answers after the weekend.
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