Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is remaining firmly on the ground when it comes to his team’s performance this season.
A perfect record of four one-two finishes in the opening four races has the German manufacturer almost one-third of the way towards their overall total of points from last season.
But while it may appear that Mercedes has dominated throughout, Wolff is adamant they have not had it all their own way.
“Nobody would have predicted four consecutive Mercedes one-twos after winter testing,” he stated in his Spanish Grand Prix preview, referring to when Ferrari were favourites before the start of the season.
“But here we are having scored 173 points in the first four races – a remarkable result which is first and foremost testament of the amazing work of every single member of the team.
“Our devotion to the task, our hunger for victory and our love of racing are stronger than ever. [But while] the results seem to paint a relatively clear picture, the truth is that they’re too flattering,” he added.
“The performance has fluctuated in the first four races. We had the fastest car in Australia and China, but we won in Bahrain thanks to our reliability when we were on the back foot in terms of speed.
“And while our race pace looked good in Azerbaijan, we were never able to build a truly comfortable gap to our rivals.
“So there is no complacency about our situation because we know that it’s not truly representative of the balance of power this season so far.”
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Many would agree it has been Mercedes’ operational superiority that has given them the advantage, while Ferrari has struggled to optimise their performance both with the car and as a team.
And Wolff is promising there will be no relenting in their pursuit of success, while also noting the possible disruption that could bring within the garage.
“Despite the good start to the season we remain quite sceptical of our own performance and know that there are a number of areas where we can and must improve,” Toto believes.
“We anticipate a tough and competitive weekend [in Spain], first against our rivals and also between our drivers.
“Everything is still very much up for grabs this season and we will be keeping our foot firmly to the floor.”
