Wolff: “Exciting three-way fight ahead”

The Mercedes W09 showed promising potential at the winter tests in Barcelona (Spain) and a poor performance by the Silver Arrows this weekend at the Australian GP would be surprising, as the star-studded team had a stranglehold on the Championship over the last four years.

However, Toto wolff be careful not to display excessive confidence. Last year it was Ferrari SF70H Sebastian Vettel who had cut the finishing line first in front of the two W08s of Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas.

“It’s time to find out what we have. As the old saying goes, when the flag is raised, the nonsense is forgotten, says the Austrian. The competition was very strong last year and we had no respite. Ferrari made life difficult for us and it was a real duel between the silver and the red. An exciting three-way fight is coming this season between us, Ferrari and Red Bull."

Mercedes remained discreet during winter testing, contenting itself with lining up the kilometers with the new Flèche d'Argent.

“Our two drivers seem quite happy with the new car, but we will still have to see how it reacts when they are in action, underlines the executive director of Mercedes Motorsport. Reducing the number of driving elements will make reliability still a crucial element in 2018. We seem to be efficient in this area, but we should not jump to conclusions. despite the significant running carried out with the new car in Barcelona, ​​many components have not yet been able to reach the end of their life even though they should during the season. »

Mercedes won the Australian GP in 2016 by signing a double with the victory of Nico Rosberg ahead of Lewis Hamilton.