Toto Wolff has lamented Mercedes missing the opportunity to score a third-consecutive podium to start the F1 season. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli ended the Japanese Grand Prix in fifth and sixth, respectively, ending the former's streak of third-place finishes. The British driver looked on track to put himself in the fight for another trip to the rostrum through the practice sessions at Suzuka, but fell short in qualifying. Wolff, who did not make the trip to Japan, highlighted how the specifics of the circuit and strategy meant it was almost impossible for either of his drivers to move forward during the race. "Japan was a case of what could have been," the 53-year-old said ahead of the subsequent Bahrain Grand Prix. "We showed good pace throughout practice but failed to translate that into our qualifying performance. That hurt our chances of claiming a strong result on Sunday. "Suzuka is a difficult circuit to overtake at and, with the race being a comfortable one-stop, there were limited opportunities to move forward."
Silver lining for the silver arrows
Nonetheless, Wolff was keen to point out the positive elements to the weekend, arguing the W16 is continuing to show its early potential through the opening rounds of the campaign. He stated that had it not been for a mistake in qualifying, after Russell made an error at the start of his final push lap in Q3, it could have been another podium position for the 27-year-old. "There are positives we can take from the weekend though," the Austrian reflected. "The car once again showed potential and, if we had executed more cleanly, a podium was a possibility."
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