Toto Wolff has stated Mercedes has a clear mission for the rest of the 2017 season in order to win both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.
After winning the Belgian Grand Prix, where Mercedes had to fend off the brutal assault from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Wolff is determined to push his team to get every last bit out of the W08 before the end of the season.
“We said before Spa that it’s dangerous to make assumptions this year and the race weekend demonstrated why that’s the case,” Wolff said.
“It was a dog fight with Ferrari and, although we came out on top, we did so by a small margin only. We can expect the same kind of close battle at every race this year. There will be no races where it is a walk in the park and we are ready for an epic battle all the way to the finish line in Abu Dhabi.
“This is often the time of year when thoughts turn to the following season. But our mission is clear: to win before and after a major regulation change. Nobody said it would be easy and it is stretching our limits in every direction. We are still pushing hard with our development to squeeze every last bit of performance from the W08.”
“In the coming weeks, we must grasp every opportunity, accept good fortune with humility, misfortune with resolution and show our resilience on the days when our rivals are stronger.
“The pendulum will swing again a number of times before Abu Dhabi, the season so far has shown us this much. Our focus is simply on extracting every possible point from each race in succession, beginning this weekend in Monza.”
The Monza circuit should benefit the Mercedes team with long straights meaning its leading strength in power should play to their advantage. However, Wolff is all too aware of the threat Ferrari poses, especially on home territory in front of the tifosi.
“Monza is a circuit that has been good to us in recent years. It rewards low drag and peak power, both of which are among the strengths of our package; but braking stability and low-speed grip are also crucial through the chicanes, and these are areas where Ferrari has held an advantage.
“The team that finds the best overall compromise will come out on top.”
