Toto Wolff: Japan was a case of what could have been.

We showed good pace throughout practice but failed to translate that into our qualifying performance. That hurt our chances of claiming a strong result on Sunday. Suzuka is a difficult circuit to overtake at and, with the race being a comfortable one-stop, there were limited opportunities to move forward. There are positives we can take from the weekend though. The car once again showed potential and, if we had executed more cleanly, a podium was a possibility.

Bahrain will be another test of the progress we have made with this year's car. It is a rear limited circuit, an abrasive surface, and typically we see hot track temperatures. That makes it tough on the tyres and is the type of track we struggled at last year. Contributing to our weekend will be our Reserve Driver, Fred Vesti. He will jump in George's car for FP1, fulfilling the first of two rookie sessions we need to run this year. Through his work in the simulator, Fred has driven more miles in the W16 than any of our other drivers. He has played an important role in its ongoing development and performance with his work in Brackley. This is another good opportunity for him to do that but this time on the race track.

"I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16," said Vesti. "Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.

"At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend."

Fact File

• Located in the middle of the desert, on what was formerly a camel farm, the Bahrain International Circuit features 1,120 palm trees.

• Being situated in a desert, you may expect sand to be an issue. However, the surrounding desert is sprayed with a sticky adhesive substance to minimize the amount of sand blowing on to the track.

• From the first breaking of the ground to build the Bahrain International Circuit to completion took just 496 days.

• The total run-off area is 140,000 sq. metres.

• The Bahrain International Circuit has five FIA certified track layouts.

• Focus for car set-up is on optimising low and medium-speed corner performance. Mechanical grip is crucial out of the slower corners, whilst the high-speed sections are easily taken flat-out.

• This will be F1's second visit to Bahrain in 2025, after the official three-day pre-season test in February.

• The track surface is made from a special aggregate that was shipped from a quarry in England.

• A few adjustments to the circuit have been made for 2025: the gravel bed at the exit of turn four has been extended, U-drains close to the racing line have been closed off and moved away into the run-off areas, and bumps at the start/finish straight and turn nine have been repaired.

• Bahrain has hosted the opening round of the F1 season on six occasions.

• Four different layouts have been used to host the F1 Grands Prix over the years.

• George Russell made his debut for the team in Bahrain at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

• Mercedes has won six times in Bahrain.

• Mercedes' first race back as a works team in F1 was in Bahrain at the start of the 2010 season.

• Fred Vesti will undertake the first of two compulsory FP1 sessions George must vacate his seat for this season. It will be the third rookie session for Fred after Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023.

• Fred's compatriot and team Junior Driver Noah Strømsted will be in FIA Formula 3 action over the weekend.

• The race lap record of 1:31:447 in Bahrain was set by a Mercedes Benz power unit, all the way back in 2005 by Pedro de la Rosa's McLaren.