Toto Wolff ‘excited’ for Mercedes’ future as Silver Arrows ‘clearly the second fastest team’ in China

“I wouldn’t say we are in the hunt now – when you look at Piastri being in front, it is easier on the tyres and you can manage it,” Wolff commented after the race. “But we are not far away, maybe the gap is a couple of tenths rather than the second it was in Melbourne.

“We are clearly the second fastest team today and that’s another solid result. George’s driving was a 10 out of 10, and I rarely give 10 out of 10 but he just extracted the maximum that was there today. And in so far, there are reasons to be excited of what the future brings.”

Given that this marks Mercedes’ strongest start to a campaign since the introduction of ground effect technical regulations in 2022 – with the outfit in second place of the Teams’ standings – Wolff was quizzed on whether it felt as if the squad are generally more on top of things this time around.

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“Yes, the platform is stabler, when we turn a screw on some sort of mechanical devise, a wing – it does what we expected,” the Team Principal explained. “We also have to be realistic that it is not where we want it to be.

“So we will be happy when we start winning races and fighting for championships, but there is no sense of entitlement – you have to work your way to that and this is the exciting journey that lies ahead.”

Wolff also acknowledged the importance of mastering the tyres going forward, adding: “I think we see that the fronts are a little bit sensitive and you need to handle them with care – that’s a bit different but it is the same for everyone.