Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes a difference in mental approach allows his team to stay ahead of Ferrari.

The German manufacturer has been the dominant force in Formula 1 since the current hybrid era began in 2014 though in recent years the Scuderia has emerged as their equal.

Even so, the consistency of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton has allowed them to see off the challenge from Sebastian Vettel and Wolff suggests the respective pressure but on both teams is a key factor.

"Part of our DNA is that we remain modest as we win," the Austrian told the Dutch magazine Formule 1.

"We do not take the win for granted -- we do not see it as something that is self-evident or our right. We do not go into every weekend with the attitude that winning is a must.

"If there are races in which second is the maximum and we have done our utmost, I have peace with it.  I think that is the biggest difference between us and Ferrari.

"They have the attitude that anything less than victory is not enough. They have to win. Being second is a failure, even if they still did their best."

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Arguably, that point has been backed up by the Italian team's actions this winter after replacing team boss Maurizio Arrivabene with Mattia Binotto.

Now, CEO Louis Camilleri has also revealed Ferrari will see a further increase in their budget after a strong year financially for the company in 2018.

"In 2018 we achieved our best result since we last won the championship, and for 2019 the goal is to win," he stated.

"I repeat that in 2019 our goal is the world championship title, so there will be an increase in investment to reach that goal."

The figure put forward by the media claims Maranello will have 430m Euros at their disposal, albeit still 20m Euros less than Mercedes.