Wolff knows just how close it really is

Mercedes AMG Petronas team boss Toto Wolff. Photo: Mark Thompson Getty Images

World champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas delivered another one-two for the Brackley team in the Bahrain Grand Prix to make it a perfect start to the new season.

But ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Wolff said: “Two races into the 2019 season, it may seem like we’re in a strong position. We have 87 points, just one below the maximum score. But the constructors’ standings do not tell the full story.

“The truth is that we weren’t as quick as our direct competitors throughout qualifying and the race in Bahrain. The Ferrari was considerably faster on the straights.

“But the challenge we are facing doesn’t daunt us, it’s uplifting. We will keep pushing to extract the maximum performance from our package to deliver the best race we can.”