Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits it is very difficult for his team to gauge their ongoing battle with Ferrari as the momentum ebbs and flows at each race.

After the first five races, it the defending world champions leading with three wins to two against their Italian rivals but the performance difference between them has been minimal throughout.

With each race, therefore, being won predominantly on strategy rather than pace, the Austrian admits it is impossible for Mercedes to feel comfortable.

"It's always good to come away from a race weekend with a points advantage, no matter how small,” Wolff said after Lewis Hamilton's victory in Spain saw the Brackley outfit move eight points clear of Ferrari in the Constructors' standings.

“But the gap is just that: very small. We are in a massive fight with Ferrari. On one side, this is very exciting and challenging. But on the other side, it is going to stretch us to our limits. You cannot base your current assessment on the balance of power on just Barcelona.”

Toto also regretted the problems that Valtteri Bottas endured in Catalonia adding: "It was painful to lose 15 valuable points with Valtteri retiring from P3.“We've identified the root cause of the problem, which was the turbo.

“We've identified the root cause of the problem, which was the turbo. We haven't seen that defect before, which shows you that you need to be double diligent. This is a technical sport and if you stretch your limits, you'll encounter technical problems.”

This weekend the next chapter will be written as F1 makes the annual stop on the historic streets of Monte Carlo, a race Wolff anticipates to be like none of the previous five.

"We expect Monaco to be a completely different ball game to Barcelona,” he said. “The circumstances, working environment and driving challenges are completely different to anywhere else - and you need to get everything exactly right if you want to perform to your maximum around those streets.

“Not every factor is under your control, either, so you need to turn fortune in your favour at the right time if you want everything to come together.

"Every weekend will push us to the limit; this is the new reality of F1 in 2017. The last three years were extraordinary,” he added.

“This competition means that you won't be winning easily - but that you'll have a fierce fight on your hands. Because of that, the feeling is even greater when you manage to come out on top, as we did in Spain.”

Ross Brawn, Formula 1's managing director of motorsport, believes Sebastian Vettel has been "the key" in Ferrari's upturn in form this season.

The German has always been seen to have made a significant impact since he joined Ferrari, initially being praised for giving the Scuderia a much-needed boost after he won three times in 2015.

However, last year, the team seemed to fall back into the old pattern, dropping to third behind Red Bull and there was a growing unease between Vettel and team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.

"The last few years for Ferrari have not been easy," Brawn, who was part of the highly successful era with Michael Schumacher between 2000-2004 commented at the time.

"But I think the crucial thing for them is stability. There are really good people in the team, who need the right support and the right philosophy."

And now, Brawn believes Vettel is doing just that, offering the right support to a philosophy that has allowed Ferrari to optimise the 2017 rule changes and fight Mercedes at the front.

"What Sebastian is doing in the red car is great advertising for Formula 1," he told Germany's Sport Bild.

"Most fans want to see a successful Ferrari team, and Sebastian is the key to it."

On a similar tone, the four-time champion was asked in Barcelona whether he believed operational changes within the Italian team was the main reason for their improved performance.

“I think we are in obviously in a much better position than in previous years but it is still fairly early,” he replied.

“Then again, if you look to the last 10 years, it’s not anymore that fixed state where you bring a new car [and that's it], the top teams bring stuff nearly every race so, I don’t know how to answer your question.

“I don’t feel it’s like that (the changes), Mercedes have had a phenomenal run the last couple of years and are still the ones to beat. If you look race by race and overall, they’ve been the dominant team and it’s difficult to break that but we are trying our best."

Fernando Alonso expects the Indy 500 and a return to Le Mans to be a part of Executive Director Zak Brown's long-term vision for McLaren.

The American has tried to reinvigorate the Woking-based team from a commercial perspective since his arrival last November, even if poor results on the track have arguably hurt their marketability.

Certainly, the return of an orange livery and to Indianapolis for the first time in 38 years is a far cry from the corporate, almost Germanic approach of Brown's predecessor, Ron Dennis.

"I think they are very different and I think there is a not a magic solution, or a magic way to lead a team to success," Alonso said when comparing the two men's styles.

"I think Ron had a fantastic time in the past in McLaren with a lot of success. And now with Zak, things are a little bit more open, inside the team but also for you guys, outside, how you can approach McLaren now is different, on the commercial side, also in a technical side.

"I think also with Zak the biggest difference is the vision and the approach for the brand, for McLaren, which is a little bit different and wants to span the McLaren in different worlds and different categories."

Indeed, Alonso only sees this year's Indianapolis tie-up as the start to Brown's efforts to make McLaren one of the biggest names in motorsport and high-performance cars. 

“We'll see with the Indy 500, I think it is not only this year. I think McLaren will be in the Indy 500 for the future," the Spaniard claimed.

"I think McLaren will be in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future, as they were in the past, when they won the Indy 500, when they won Le Mans.

"So that's the biggest change we can feel inside McLaren, that Zak will not only concentrate in F1, will concentrate in McLaren as a race team in different series and the most important thing is obviously to sell cars.

"To sell the McLaren cars you need to open to new markets and especially the US market is probably the biggest one,” he added.

Jos Verstappen, former Formula 1 driver and father of Max, has accepted a role within Red Bull's young driver program, the team has confirmed.

Verstappen is a notable figure within the Red Bull garage, responsible for the rise and still very supportive of his 19-year-old son. Now, however, that support is to increase on a wider scale as the Dutchman works alongside motorsport advisor and head of the academy, Helmut Marko.

“This is a good cooperation and expansion of the Red Bull junior team,” the Austrian commented.

Explaining why he felt the need to hire Jos, he added: "It is a question of time, as there are clashes with junior races so that I cannot see them.

"So we asked if he has the time and the inclination to visit certain races for us."

Obviously, the answer to that question was yes as Verstappen Sr. has his first assignment as the Red Bull representative this weekend at the European F3 Pau Grand Prix.

His position will predominantly involve the scouting of potential drivers for the Red Bull academy as well as tracking the progress of those already involved, something Marko believes Verstappen Sr. has a very good eye for.

"Jos was always closely involved in karting," he said. "He can not only coach the drivers with his experience but also look at the teams.

"The success in the development phase that he managed with Max is also obvious," he added.

Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn has played down the possibility of becoming mired by the same Honda engine problems that have affected McLaren this season.

After a lengthy period of speculation, it was confirmed before the Spanish Grand Prix weekend that the Hinwil-based team would be switching from long-time partners Ferrari to the Japanese manufacturer from 2018.

But currently, Sauber is benefiting from Honda's problems after they moved ahead of McLaren into ninth in the Constructors' championship, following Pascal Wehrlein's eighth place finish in Barcelona.

“Well, we certainly expect that they’ll have sorted out all the issues they have been facing so far and we expect that to also happen still in this season,” Kaltenborn said when asked if she had any concerns about the switch.

“Looking at the talks we’ve had with Honda and having seen their facilities, knowing how determined they are, we have no reason to doubt that.”

Throughout their Ferrari partnership, Sauber has been the starting point for several of the Italian team's young stars, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Antonio Giovinazzi to name a few.

Asked if a similar situation may remain with Honda, who have drivers currently in F2 and GP3, Kaltenborn claimed: “Well, regarding drivers, at the end of the day it’s the team’s decision, and also the team’s responsibility to have good drivers.

“Like we’ve done in the past, even with our current engine supplier, Ferrari, we’ve discussed these kinds of issues with the key partner.

“We have also taken drivers from our engine supplier because it was the right thing to do there. It’s something that we’re open to and we’ll see how it pans out."

“In terms of sponsorship I think it’s far too early to look at these things," she added, considering other potential effects. "We’ve just announced the deal. So we’ll see how that develops as well.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has praised Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard likely to be a key part of Formula 1's 2018 driver market.

Sainz has continued to impress in the Red Bull junior team this season, currently 10th in the Drivers' standings and has been the subject of interest both from Mercedes, who considered him to replace Nico Rosberg and Renault who enquired about his availability last year.

Speaking to Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo, Wolff revealed he does think the son of former world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. could cope at the top in F1 saying: "Yes, Carlos is ready and I like him and I like the family.

"Carlos is what he has to be: a modern driver, handsome, intelligent, fast."

Though Sainz himself had previously said next year is the year he wants to move up from Toro Rosso, the Austrian admits he would face a major hurdle if that move was to be outside his current stable.

"He is a Red Bull driver and they will always try to keep the good ones in their system or to control their destiny," Wolff said, "and that's the situation right now."

It is true the energy drinks giant is very keen to keep hold of the 22-year-old, however, Helmut Marko, the man in charge of Red Bull's academy, did suggest there might some room for manoeuvre.

"Traditionally we talk about drivers after the summer. It's too soon," he told El Confidential initially.

"If it was a much better team than Toro Rosso, we can talk [but] on the other hand, we need a reserve driver and Carlos is our first option."

As for whether he echoed Wolff's confidence in Sainz, he added: "He has gone from being Carlos Sainz junior to Carlos Sainz the F1 driver.

"But I think he would develop better if he left the 'Madrid protection zone' of his father. He is still like a young bird in the nest.

"He is fast - very fast - but he has to be consistent," Marko continued. "He made a stupid mistake in Bahrain, but he's young, he can learn, and he has to be patient.

"He must concentrate on doing the best job possible and he will automatically develop."

Fernando Alonso admits his first experience with the fans at the Indy 500 isn't as bad as feared.

The famous race at the Indianapolis is billed as much of a showcase of the drivers off the track as it is of them on it, with the openness of the event a far cry from the world of Formula 1.

However, coming to the end of his first full week as an Indy 500 driver, running in daily practice sessions, Alonso is coping well with his new environment.

"I think they scared me a little bit too much when I came here!" the Spaniard told RACER in an interview.

"They said that it's going to be crazy with the fans and the activities around the event, but so far it's more or less as in Formula 1.

"You get the media events, you get this kind of interviews and you get the fans. They're a little bit closer – especially in the pit lane, which is quite new – but apart from that, the level of activities remains similar to the F1 weekend. So, not too bad to deal with everything so far.”

What the two-time F1 champion has noticed, however, is just how much buzz he has created at Indianapolis, with the 35-year-old in demand the moment he steps out of the car. 

"Obviously sometimes it's not ideal in the sense that you need to talk to the engineers,” he explained. “It's the right moment when you've got a fresh run in your head, so you want to talk about something.

“You remove the helmet and you would like to talk with the engineer, but you spend 20 seconds there with the fans.

"Also, because I'm new here and it's this big thing that I came here, if you see all the pit lane and all the garages are quite empty apart from mine!” He added.

“So I think that with time it will get a little bit more relaxed, and people will get a little bit more used to seeing me here, as if you are a normal racer here. I think that's a very unique thing for me at this event and also for them, so I have a little bit more attention than normal.”

Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer has criticised Formula 1's governing body, the FIA after the team was given a suspended fine for falling foul of new car identification rules.

In Spain, all teams were required to incorporate clearer numbers and/ or the three-letter abbreviation of the driver inside on the engine cover to help spectators pick out each car.

Though Force India did add the requisite numbers of 11 for Sergio Perez and 31 for Esteban Ocon, the positioning of those numbers was deemed not in line with the requirements.

"According to the sporting regulations we comply," Szafnauer said when commenting on the situation.

"We went through scrutineering, so they should have pointed it out on Thursday if they wanted something different. Not after the race.

"If we are asked to do something different and it is a 'please can you?', some people can, some people can't.

"If it is a regulation, we will comply with it, and we have complied with the regulations.”

The problem facing Force India is finding a solution that both satisfies the FIA and their main sponsor BWT, who's partnership with the Silverstone team both provides a much-needed financial boost and the pink livery with subsequent advertising.

"As you know, Force India does well on the track but is not as strong in the commercial area, which is related to the way revenues are distributed in F1," Szafnauer explained.

"But the approach of the commercial rights holders is what it is, so we have to maximise the way we work with sponsors. To do this, we need to make optimal use of the space on the car.

"Personally, I think we could come up with a better way to distinguish the cars on the track," he concluded.

The $25,000 fine issued to Force India has been suspended upon a resolution being found for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen insists his confidence remains high heading to the Monaco Grand Prix, a race he is yet to finish at.

In his two previous appearances, the Dutchman's participation has ended in the barrier, whether it be his crash with Romain Grosjean in 2015 or losing control of his Red Bull on a drying track entering Massanet last year.

That particular weekend 12 months ago was especially deflating, following the high of his first Formula 1 win in Spain the race prior.

“Last year's crash was very unfortunate but it doesn't affect my confidence heading back there," Verstappen said looking back, "it just makes me want to do better this year and learn from my mistakes."

There is also a greater sense of anticipation ahead of this year's 'jewel in the crown', with the new 2017 cars set to make the famous streets of Monte Carlo as difficult as they have ever been.

Considering his approach to the weekend, Verstappen commented: “Preparation for Monaco is a little different, you definitely build up a little bit slower throughout the weekend and pace yourself. It's important to find the limit carefully.

“There is no such thing as a low-risk lap in Monaco, it doesn't exist if you want to be fast because you have to be on the limit," he added.

“With the new cars I think the chicane around the swimming pool will be the most challenging corner this year."

Monaco is also likely to offer Red Bull their best chance to compete against Ferrari and Mercedes this season, after what has been an underwhelming first quarter of the year.

Considering the team's chances, the 19-year-old said: “We still have a lot to learn from the car in terms of setup as it is always developing and we haven't driven it on a tight street circuit yet.”

Red Bull has plenty to do to catch their rivals but Daniel Ricciardo's 75-second deficit in Spain wasn't representative of the overall picture, according to team boss Christian Horner.  

The Australian earned his first podium of the season in Barcelona, but it more out of luck than pace as Ricciardo close to being lapped by the leading Mercedes and Ferrari.

“Daniel obviously had a pretty lonely race, benefitting from Bottas' retirement," Horner admitted, following the first corner collision that also eliminated Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen.

However, he would then reveal the 27-year-old's pace had been limited for a large portion of the 66 laps.

"Pretty much halfway through the race, we turned the engine down to try and save engine life," he claimed.

"Obviously it's got to do quite a few events, and the pace to the front running cars was pretty significant.

"We've still got plenty to do, we made some progress here this weekend, it's given us a very clear development direction," Horner continued. "Hopefully, we'll be looking to capitalise on that on coming races.

"I think the delta was a lot bigger in the race [as well]. Daniel didn't look as happy with his car this weekend as Max but I'm not suggesting Max would have been 20 seconds up the road, there's still issues in that when you have a gap like that."

Asked where he felt the team was struggling the most, the Briton added: "The way you're working the tyres is a key element, particularly on this track, it gives an interesting workout on the tyres.

"We can see it's an area where we're giving away performance [as] we look relatively more competitive in the second half of the race than the first."

As for Ricciardo himself, though pleased by the result he achieved, the Honey Badger was also disappointed by the overall performance.

“Firstly, it’s nice to be back up here, absolutely and it’s nice to see at the front there’s some battles and that they’re enjoying it," he said.

“We [Red Bull] want to have these battles and fights. I’m envious not to be part of that but we’re still going to try and work on it.

 “Today we just have to be grateful for the first podium of the year."