Toto Wolff: “We take each of our rivals seriously”

In view of the winter tests in Barcelona, ​​place Mercedes among the favorites remains almost obvious. The W08s of Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas chained the rounds at a very high pace, and the Silver Arrows remained in the leading group on the ranking sheets, despite the real threat posed by the Team Ferrari before the first free practice in Melbourne this Friday.

With the change in technical regulations, the possibility of a team finding the detail that could upset the expected hierarchy also remains anchored in the mind of Toto wolff. “Everyone starts from scratch, recalls the Austrian.

This provides opportunities as well as risks for each team on the grid. We only need to look at 2009 to see how the Formula 1 can be unpredictable, with Brawn winning the championship after being close to closing.

We take each of our rivals seriously and respect each team’s ability to find that magic “ball.” All benefit from the presence of very intelligent people, the best in the world in their fields.

We've done the best job we can over the winter and, if we're not the fastest in Melbourne, it's a question of why and what needs to be done to get us back to that top spot. »

Toto Wolff, however, is counting on his Hamilton – Bottas duo to keep Mercedes at the forefront. The Austrian official highlights in particular the understanding between the two men. “Lewis and Valtteri are in a good environment. They have a respectful and friendly relationship from what we have seen in our team briefings so far. »