Toto Wolff: We will try to compete for the podium

      Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff summed up the Bahrain Grand Prix and spoke about the challenges facing the team at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

      Toto Wolff: "The race in Bahrain turned out to be eventful. George Russell's car had some breakdowns, but he still finished second and brought the team its third podium of the season. He piloted brilliantly under severe pressure, which was facilitated by the calm work of the team to eliminate breakdowns. We have yet to understand what causes led to the problems in order to avoid their recurrence in the future.

      As for Kimi Antonelli, he learned an important lesson in Bahrain. Throughout the weekend, he demonstrated that he has the speed to fight in the top five. However, he was out of position on the first lap and then rolled back in the first two laps when he had tire problems. We switched him to a different strategy, but he was unlucky with the timing of the safety car's exit, and our choice left him no chance to compete for points.

      Given Kimi's speed, it's easy to forget that he's at a very early stage of his career. The Bahrain race was an important milestone in his further development.

      Now we are going to Saudi Arabia, where the final stage race will be held. Although the team is encouraged by our performance in Bahrain, there are completely different tasks to be solved in Jeddah. We are moving from a track where the load falls on the rear tires to a track with several medium-speed sections where a large load falls on the front tires.

      It would be foolish to try to predict the balance of power, but we will strive to compete for the podium again."