Wolff: 'We must not encounter any more stumbling blocks'

Mercedes experienced a disastrous first test day on Friday in Bahrain. Given the quality and resources of the team, this need not have a major impact yet, but then the rest of the weekend has to go well, Toto Wolff said on Friday after the event.

" I hope, if we are able to have a smoother ride from here onwards then I think we can recover. If we have more stumbling blocks then with three days there is not a lot you can do", the Austrian is quoted by Formula1.com quoted.

That wish didn't come true just one day later, as Lewis Hamilton lost some 45 minutes after a spin that left him stuck in the gravel. Red Bull Racing seems to be doing well, however, and McLaren and Alpine are also doing well. Wolff doesn't put too much stock in that yet though.

"We will see some kind of vague picture after the three days. I think Bahrain is representative, but the days are very gusty, the wind conditions change from one day to the other, and of course, we don’t know the fuel loads; there’s quite a big difference just missing 10 kilograms", Wolff said.