Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the 2019 season has “exceeded our expectations” after winning 10 of the 12 races.
After recent tough battles with Ferrari, it was expected another epic duel between the two manufacturers would unfold, instead, the new aero rules and change in tyre philosophy have allowed the world champions to dominate.
Lewis Hamilton sits 69 points of the nearest non-Mercedes in the Drivers’ standings while the Constructors’ sees them leading by a whopping 150 points.
“The season so far has certainly exceeded our expectations because we started winter testing with some poor performances,” Wolff told Formula1.com in a mid-season review.
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“We slowly got to understand the car and when the real racing started we were right at the front, but, we were not always the quickest car.
“Ferrari had a fantastic performance in Bahrain until the car broke down. Leclerc should have won. In Baku, they were very fast, and the famous Vettel call in Montreal when he could have won the race or not.
“So, the stats could have looked much worse for us than it does, that is the reason we are not taking out foot off the pedal.
“We believe we need to continue to push our performance level to win this championship as our competition will not rest and let us run away with it.”
The expected wrapping up of both championships would see Mercedes exceed the streak of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari between 2000-2004 and the Austrian chief has no plans to give up the throne anytime soon.
“We’ve already stretched it quite a bit,” Wolff said. “We’re competing for our sixth consecutive double championship which hasn’t been done before, in any sport.
“We are proud of having that opportunity, but having said that, it’s not done yet. After you get six there is a seventh to conquer. I think the most important thing is to enjoy yourself, have fun, and stay humble.”
