Dissatisfaction at Mercedes after first day in Saudi Arabia: 'Zero confidence'

Mercedes are not exactly optimistic after the second free practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Toto Wolff says that his drivers have little to no confidence in the car, something which is essential in Jeddah.

With George Russell in second place, one could argue that Mercedes can look back on FP2 in Jeddah with satisfaction. However, that is not the case. Russell looked good in both the short and fast runs, but he is not very confident in the car. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton, who did not even get to complete a long run due to engine problems.

''If you listen to the drivers, the car is not moving forward or through the corners. The car bounces and has problems with aerodynamic balance. The drivers lack confidence, but I think you heard that on every team radio,'' Wolff told Sky Sports Germany.

''We were fast in terms of lap times and therefore we have to think carefully about what we do tomorrow. We tried two completely different setups, Deliberately. For Lewis it didn't work.'' the Mercedes team boss says after FP2. In Bahrain, Hamilton was not satisfied with his setup either. Then Russell was the faster driver in both qualifying and the race.