Too early to call us favourites, says Wolff as W09 hasn't been "driven in anger"; Are Red Bull Mercedes' main 2018 challengers?
Thursday 13 December 2018 15:46, UK
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says it would be dangerous to assume the world champions are favourites for the title again this season, insisting the W09 has yet to be "driven in anger".
Despite trailing Ferrari and Red Bull on the timesheets during pre-season testing, Mercedes displayed ominous pace during the race simulations and completed more laps than any other team, while their new-for-2018 challenger also suffered no obvious reliability failures.
That form led Red Bull chief Christian Horner to confess that the Silver Arrows were "very much the favourites" to make it five constructors' titles in a row, but Wolff is waiting until this weekend's Australian GP before making any judgements on his team's chances.
"Both our drivers seem reasonably happy with our new car, but it remains yet to be seen how well it performs when driven in anger," the Mercedes CEO & Team Principal said.
"The reduction in the number of power unit components means that reliability will again play an important role in 2018.
"Our reliability in testing looked good but we need to be careful to draw any conclusions from that - despite getting some good mileage with the new car in Barcelona, many of its components have not even come close to the life they need to complete during the season."
Fear of Red Bull in three-way fight?
While both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are confident that the W09 is an improvement on last season's title-winning car, the Englishman was fearful that another team had not just edged ahead of Ferrari as the team's closest rivals, but also in front of Mercedes themselves.
"Because we don't bring upgrades at the same time, I think Red Bull will bring something at the first race, which will be interesting to see." Hamilton said.
"I think Red Bull are the fastest at the moment, potentially."
It's a scenario Wolff is fully prepared for as he looks ahead to Melbourne and beyond, with Mercedes braced for another "proper battle" in 2018.
"Last year, the competition was very close and there was no moment where we could afford to relax," he added. "Ferrari put up a very tough fight and we had a proper battle between silver and red.
"This year promises to bring an exciting three-way fight between us, Ferrari and Red Bull.
"We will tackle this new season with the same dedication, team spirit and energy that has made us strong in the past. We start this long season on zero points like every one of our rivals. And we have to give it everything to be successful again this year."
"Now, it's time to find out what we've got: like the old saying goes, when the flag drops, the bulls*** stops."
