Toto Wolff expressed his surprise at Mercedes' performance during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where the anticipated upgrades seemed to hinder rather than help the team. Despite a dominant run in the 2026 season, the Silver Arrows struggled, with Kimi Antonelli finishing fourth and George Russell in eighth, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull secured pole position.

Wolff noted the team's unexpected challenges, stating:

"Very difficult to understand. We have been a little bit caught out on Friday with some car behaviour that we didn't see all year."

He pointed out that conditions at the Sepang International Circuit—characterized by extreme heat and a rough track surface—may have contributed to the issues.

• Qualifying Results:
  • Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - Pole
  • Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 4th
  • George Russell (Mercedes) - 8th

Wolff added:

"It looks like we are very draggy... There’s just too much understeer."

Russell, who had high hopes after a strong performance in Azerbaijan, struggled to adapt, citing the demanding circuit's effect on tire performance:

"It's extremely rough, it's so hot out there and the tyres are going through hell."

Antonelli acknowledged a mistake in Q2 but remained optimistic about the team's potential to improve, stating that a clean run could have positioned him better:

"Max did an incredible job... but it could have been much worse."

As the team prepares for the race, they aim to analyze the data and resolve the issues to regain their competitive edge.