‘Our worst performance so far’ – Wolff left searching for answers after Mercedes’ low-key display in Saudi Arabian GP

 

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was left visibly frustrated and searching for answers after a perplexingly poor showing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite a strong qualifying performance that saw George Russell start third and rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli line up fifth, the Silver Arrows struggled mightily during the race, ultimately limping to a distant fifth and sixth place respectively.
Wolff minced no words in his post-race assessment, stating bluntly, “That was our worst performance of the year so far, without a shadow of a doubt.” The team had arrived in Jeddah with cautious optimism following encouraging races in China and Bahrain, but the Saudi Arabian street circuit exposed a significant weakness in their 2025 challenger.
The primary culprit appeared to be a dramatic lack of race pace compared to their rivals at the front. While McLaren’s Oscar Piastri cruised to victory, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the Mercedes duo rapidly fell away from the leading pack.
Tyre degradation proved to be a major headache for both Russell and Antonelli. Both drivers reported severe blistering and overheating throughout the race, hindering their ability to push and maintain competitive lap times. Russell, visibly concerned in the latter stages, even radioed the team with worries about a potential tyre failure as his performance “fell off a cliff,” losing an estimated second per lap.
“After a good qualifying, we expected to be in the mix at the front,” a visibly disappointed Russell told reporters. “But the tyre performance just wasn’t there today. We were struggling with overheating from very early on, and in the final stint, it felt like I was just trying to survive out there. It’s clearly an area we need to understand and improve.”
Rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, while showing flashes of maturity in managing his second stint to fend off a late charge from Lewis Hamilton for sixth, also couldn’t match the pace of the leading cars. The young Italian driver, still in his debut season, echoed Russell’s sentiments about the unexpected struggles.
Adding to the team’s woes was the apparent lack of a clear explanation for the sudden drop in performance. Wolff admitted the team was “baffled” by the significant tyre degradation, particularly given their relatively strong showing on similarly demanding circuits earlier in the season.
“We need to go back to the drawing board and analyze what went wrong here,” Wolff stated. “We didn’t see these kinds of issues in Bahrain or China, which are also tough on tyres. We need to understand why our pace disappeared in the race after a decent qualifying. This result is not acceptable for Mercedes, and we will be working tirelessly to find the answers before the next race.”
Despite the disappointing outcome in Jeddah, Mercedes maintains second position in the constructors’ championship with 111 points, albeit now significantly behind the in-form McLaren who lead with 188 points. George Russell sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with 73 points, while Antonelli occupies fifth with 38 points.
The low-key display in Saudi Arabia has undoubtedly raised alarm bells within the Mercedes camp. With the season progressing, the team faces an urgent need to diagnose and rectify the issues that plagued their race in Jeddah to avoid falling further behind their rivals and to ensure their promising start to the 2025 season doesn’t unravel. The search for answers has begun in Brackley, with the pressure mounting to deliver a much-improved performance in the upcoming races.