Valtteri Bottas insists Mercedes must continue pushing to stay ahead of rivals and work on shortfalls with their 2019 car.
After losing their 100% win record in Austria, the German manufacturer returned to the front at Silverstone claiming a seventh 1-2 of the season.
In qualifying, however, the gap covering the top three teams was less than two-tenths of a second and Bottas is well aware that the competition will only get stronger.
“For sure all the manufacturers are pushing hard and we’re working hard, we know the deficit definitively on power, we have work to do,” he said.
“We just need more power, maybe a bit more of aero efficiency as well, in terms of drag and in terms of cooling as well, that’s one big thing we need to be in better shape.
“We’re very aware everyone is working hard, but we’re not standing still as well and hopefully we can catch up with Ferrari instead of worrying about other teams catching up on us.”
Also Read:
- Red Bull or Ferrari assistance a ‘bonus’ for Bottas in Hamilton fight
- Bottas open to Ferrari move if dropped by Mercedes
- Mercedes: The taste of defeat lasts much longer than the thrill of victory
It is that strive for perfection that has been one of the hallmarks of Mercedes during their period of domination, with Bottas revealing how the team reacted to their setback in Spielberg.
“Yes, that’s always been one of the strong points of the team, that when we see a clear weakness or a thing we can definitively do better, normally things happen pretty rapidly,” he said.
“It’s been the same case again, I was in the factory on Tuesday [after Austria], with all the meetings and analysis from the last races and I was happy to hear than on the next hot race we’re going to have an update and improvement for our cooling efficiency.
“Hopefully that will make difference enough but there are definitively more steps to do but the ball is rolling.”