Toto Wolff admits Mercedes are using tactic to throw off Red Bull

Hamilton opens up on plans to remain in F1 ahead of new season

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Toto Wolff has revealed Mercedes are “hiding” their true performance from rivals Red Bull and Ferrari. The Mercedes team principal revealed the Silver Arrows had plenty more performance in the tank after just a day and a half of running in Bahrain.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were down on Max Verstappen yesterday and Carlos Sainz on Friday morning. The Austrian didn’t confirm whether the German manufacturer would show their hand this week or wait for the first Grand Prix in a week’s time.

Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “Yeah we are still hiding a little bit. I think you need to wait for the three days running also whether the softer tyres come onto the car in the afternoon which are more representative conditions for Bahrain.” However, Wolff hinted that Mercedes were not the only ones to keep their powder dry.

He teased it was still “difficult to judge” Red Bull and Ferrari’s pace as teams were still fiddling with components. He added: “They are fast, no surprise there. It’s very difficult to judge at that stage.

“Everyone is playing around with fuel loads and it’s a little bit hiding on engine modes so you can’t really judge.”

Mercedes managed 152 laps with both Hamilton and Russell on Thursday with the seven-time champion adding 72 laps on Friday morning. Mercedes were fairly confident after day one and have since admitted their porpoising issues which plagued the team had been eradicated.

The news is set to be a boost to Hamilton who is eyeing his eighth world title in F1 after a year away from the front. However, the 38-year-old appeared to struggle for grip in places with the rear looking slightly unstable.

This was reflected in the lap times with Hamilton only P8 after the morning session and 1.4 seconds off the pace of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

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Wolff accepted the team needed to work on the car when asked if the lack of grip was an area of concern. He explained: “Yeah it definitely is because it’s not the driver who is always driving the tyres and pushing it.

“It is the car that doesn’t give him enough grip from the rear so this is something we need to sort out over the course of the journey today.”

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