Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to miss Japanese Grand Prix

Having also missed last year's Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes have confirmed that the Brackley-based outfit's team boss Toto Wolff will not be present at this weekend's Suzuka race.

Mercedes have revealed that Toto Wolff will miss the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. The F1 field is now set to race on three consecutive weekends, with Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia hosting the next three races. Wolff indicated that the condensed nature of this year's 24-race schedule motivated him to stay at home and work remotely instead.

Mercedes' chief communications officer Bradley Lord will take over Wolff’s trackside commitments at Suzuka, carrying out duties such as media work during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

Speaking ahead of the Suzuka race weekend, Wolff has revealed that he has been left delighted with Mercedes' form in the early stages of the season, albeit he stressed that the Brackley-based squad will need to find more performance to challenge for victories.

"We will be aiming to build on our solid start to the season in the upcoming triple-header. The W16 has proved a stable and consistent platform so far, and a car that the drivers feel confident in.

"That led to good performances in Australia and China, and our best start to a season since 2021. We know we have more performance to find if we are to challenge at the very front of the race though. Development isn't the work of a moment either.

"The races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia will therefore be about maximising what we have right now. Our competitors will undoubtedly bounce back from the recent double-header, too. Therefore, we will need to be at our best if we want to continue our promising start."

Reflecting on his drivers, Wolff claimed that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will get his first taste of the challenging Suzuka circuit, but the Austrian is confident that the Italian driver will be able to master the difficult track given his performance in the opening two rounds of the season.

"Suzuka, with its fast sweeps and elevation change, provides a proper test for both driver and car. This will be Kimi's first experience there and, whilst it will be another new challenge for him, he will be looking forward to it. He has handled everything thrown at him so far, and we're looking forward to seeing his continued development.

"George meanwhile has enjoyed his strongest start to a season in his F1 career. He has delivered with maturity, consistency, and speed. He is performing exactly how we knew he would as the senior driver of the works Mercedes team. He will be looking to continue in that form in Japan this weekend."