The season opener in Bahrain gave us a slight idea of the grid hierarchy for the 2024 season. The harsh reality for the front runners was Red Bull‘s continued supremacy. For Mercedes, it was a harder pill to swallow as their chief rivals showcased that their zeropod concept wasn’t flawed, just not perfect. However, the Brackley-based team let the bygones be bygones and put their faith in the 2024 challenger, including the drivers. They even saw positive signs with Lewis Hamilton topping the timing charts in FP2 in Bahrain and George Russell right behind him. However, their bubble burst in the race which Toto Wolff labeled as “underwhelming” contradicting his drivers.

Red Bull secured their first and definitely not their last 1-2 of the season whereas Mercedes could not even secure the final podium place. However, despite the difficult race, there were a lot of positives from the race that the Mercedes men took home. George Russell even confessed, “There is potential in the car but today we definitely didn’t show it” and even Hamilton focused on the positives. The Brit had said, “To know that we have a package that we can potentially fight with is really pleasing.”

However, as seen on X, the boss did not. Toto Wolff said, “Our race in Bahrain was best described as underwhelming.”

He added, “Unfortunately on Saturday evening, our cooling performance didn’t match our predictions. That forced us into management mode early on, which had the knock-on impact of reducing tyre temperatures below optimum. That cost us the opportunity to show something closer to our true potential. It was a frustrating way to start the season but one we will learn from.”

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The boss has been saying the team has a massive problem on its hands with the car and it’s a persistent problem with the Bahrain GP as proof. However, heading to the second race of the campaign, the boss is hoping for more learning before they can try and fix their problems. As for the future, the team still has a championship-winning potential, at least according to Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton puts faith in Toto Wolff and Co.’s ability to win another championship in the future

Hamilton might be taking his talents to Ferrari because time is of the essence and he did not see Mercedes fighting for a championship anytime soon. However, that does not mean the Brit has lost all faith in the team that helped him win SIX championships. It’s the same team just going through a rough patch and even though Hamilton can’t stay with them forever, he believes in time they will be back to their best.

Talking about how his Ferrari move came about, he revealed, “I am just working on rebuilding my team and trying to make sure that it is diverse. Then January, everything turned upside down when the option came. I think I made the right decision for me, and I think this team will win another championship, and I will be proud because I know I had some involvement.”

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Hamilton had to keep his best interests first but that does not mean he does not believe in Mercedes, after all, they’ve been part of his entire F1 career up until now. Let’s hope the boss can find the same faith his driver has in him and they can turn this season around after an underwhelming start.