Toto Wolff reflects on a strong showing from Mercedes in the F1 Chinese GP as the team aims to build on the W16. Emboldened by the team’s strong start to the season, he sets his sights on winning races and competing for championships.
With Mercedes kicking off their 2025 Formula 1 season with 2 consecutive podium finishes, the team’s improvement over recent years is evident. George Russell finishing just 11 seconds behind the leader in China clearly illustrates the team’s potential.
Speaking on Sunday following the F1 Chinese GP, team principal Toto Wolff complimented Russell’s execution. Despite the strong result, Wolff played down the team’s potential to consistently fight for wins, due to the pace of the McLaren’s.
“I wouldn’t say yet we’re in the hunt,” Wolff stated as he reflected on Sunday’s performance in his print media session. “Now, when you look at Piastri, certainly being at the front is a little bit easier on the tyres and you can manage it. But we’re not far away.
“Maybe the gap is now a couple of tenths rather than a second that it was in Melbourne. Clearly the second fastest team today. That’s another solid result that was brought in. George [Russell]’s driving was a 10 out of 10 and I rarely give 10 out of 10, but he just extracted the maximum that was there today. Insofar, I think there’s reasons to be to be excited about what the future brings.”
Wolff was then asked about the team’s competitive start to the season. Having struggled to get to grips with the ground effect regulations, Mercedes have faced difficulty in recent years. Due to balance and stability issues, Mercedes have struggled to challenge for regular wins since 2022.
Having opened the 2025 Formula 1 season with 2 consecutive P3 finishes for George Russell, Wolff was quizzed on the stability of the W16. He confirmed the chassis has much improved stability and responds as expected to set-up changes.
“The platform is stabler,” He responded. “When we turn a screw on some kind of mechanical device or wing or surface, then it does what we expected. But we have to also be realistic that it’s not where we want it to be.
“So we feel we will be happy when we start winning races and fight for championships. But there is no sense of entitlement. You have to work your way to that. This is the exciting journey that lies ahead.”
Continuing to delve into the team’s Chinese Grand Prix performance, Wolff was asked about the Pirelli tyres. Having proved a handful, with many drivers struggling to manage the tyres, Wolff believes they are key to performance.
He explained that he believes those who learn to manage the tyres quickest will be at a major advantage for the remainder of the season.
“I think that we see that the fronts are a little bit more sensitive and you need to just handle them with care. That’s a bit of a difference, but it’s the same for everyone. And today’s shows that.
“The C2, the hard, was rock solid and robust and a racing tyre that basically could do three quarters of the race. So I think we are learning race by race, test by test, and the ones who’s going to have the fastest learning rate on how to exploit the tyres is going to come out as the winner.”
