Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has tempered expectations for the German manufacturer at the Singapore Grand Prix, with the team having a mixed recent record.
Only once since the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014 has the Brackley-based team failed to win at Marina Bay, yet in recent years they have been second if not third fastest behind their rivals, Ferrari and Red Bull, in the pecking order.
Last year, the first lap chaos involving the two Ferrari’s and Max Verstappen wiped them out of contention before a gearbox issue prevented Daniel Ricciardo from challenging eventual race winner Hamilton.
And Wolff knows that similar circumstances are typically now needed to give Mercedes a chance.
“Singapore has features that we’ve struggled with in the past,” he said in his pre-race preview.
“The short straights, the slow, tight corners and the bumpy surface all make the Marina Bay Street Circuit one of the trickiest tracks of the season for us.
“In 2015, we endured one of our most painful experiences in recent years there. Last year, we started the race from the third row – and came home with a win and a third place.”
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Based on experience, however, the Austrian knows there’s no reason to give up.
“On paper, the track should favour the Ferraris, but the championship fight is so close that predictions are almost meaningless,” the Mercedes chief concluded.
