Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the team is going to have to push hard to overcome their difficulties at last year’s Malaysia Grand Prix.
The Brackley-based outfit underperformed according to their team boss when they were comprehensively beaten by Ferrari at the 2015 event.
Mercedes managed to put behind their poor performance at the previous Grand Prix in Singapore by winning this year’s race, having been 1.5 seconds off the pace the previous year.
Reflecting on the Singapore weekend, the Austrian concluded we saw the best of Formula One last time out and admitted it was an extremely tense climax.
“We saw Formula One at its best in Singapore,” Wolff said. “Just like in football, where you have good games and bad ones, this was a classic.
“I’m proud of the team for how we bounced back after last year and we take our hats off to Red Bull and Daniel [Ricciardo] too, as they made it a huge battle.
“This is how Formula One should be and, although it was extremely tense, I thoroughly enjoyed the race.”
As well as the team pushing hard, Wolff adds Rosberg and Hamilton will also be pushing each other in a critical stage of the season.
The two drivers are separated by just eight points with six rounds remaining, but Wolff says the team must keep their feet on the ground during a gruelling phase of the year.
“Now we go to Malaysia, which is a big weekend for us,” he added. “To win in what feels like our second home, in front of thousands of friends and partners from Petronas, would be very special.
“But, like Singapore, this was a race where we underperformed last year, so we will need to push hard to put that right.
“We can guarantee that the drivers will be doing just that. This year more than ever, we’ve seen that they are pushing each other to new heights.
“We’re entering a gruelling phase of this record 21 race season, where the physical and mental challenge of a championship reaches its absolute peak.
“We’re in good shape – but we must remain on our toes to get the ball over the line.”
