Wolff: First hint in qualy as the stopwatch never lies

After a worrying pre-season, Toto Wolff says Mercedes and Formula 1 will finally see the “competitive truth” in Bahrain’s qualifying.

Mercedes left the Sakhir circuit after pre-season testing worried about their pace, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell fearing the worst.

Their concerns have been laughed at by their rivals who say it is “typical” of Mercedes to talk down their own chances, and then blow the field away.

However, in the background it does seem as if perhaps Mercedes do have cause for concern, their W13 with its zero-pods suffering more porpoising than the other cars.

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Mercedes had a few days between testing and this weekend’s opening race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, to find a solution to the problem.

Wolff is in the dark as to how Hamilton and his new team-mate Russell will perform at the Sakhir circuit.

“It’s hard to say exactly where we’ll fit in the competitive order this weekend in Bahrain,” said the Mercedes motorsport boss, “but that’s what makes this new season and new era so exciting.

“It’s a clean slate for everyone and all to play for.

“Like we always say, what we love about F1 is that the stopwatch never lies – and we will get our first understanding of the competitive truth on Saturday in qualifying.

“I’m excited to see what the weekend has in store.”

Here come the Men in Black. pic.twitter.com/AnOUIAGAlq

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