Wolff refutes tyre pressure link to performance slump
Toto Wolff has dismissed the suggestion of there being a link between Mercedes' unexpectedly lacklustre pace ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix and the tyre pressure wrangle that almost saw it disqualified from the Italian Grand Prix.
Only the second time since the start of the 2014 season that a Mercedes driver will not start from pole position, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will get away from fifth and sixth positions around the Marina Bay Circuit.
With Hamilton 1.5secs shy of Sebastian Vettel's pole-winning time, the swing has prompted speculation as to what could have caused such a drop in form just two weeks after a dominant win in Monza.
Pushed on the potential reasons for the downturn, Wolff remains convinced the blip is more track specific, laughing off suggestion that it is being forced to be more cautious with its tyres in the wake of the discovery it ran incorrect pressures during the Italian Grand Prix.
"None of the pressure levels set by Pirelli had any influence on our set-up - we are well within the limits. That wasn't the point. I think it is a combination of the mechanical grip we were able to extract from the tyres.
"The car hasn't changed - it is still a very good car aerodynamically and the engine hasn't changed, so, there is no explanation in the drop-off in performance of the car. It is just we haven't been able to put the car in the sweet spot of the tyre.
"To put the car in the sweet spot of the tyre you need to have all things right - ride height, camber, torque, the mechanical balance, there is so much influence on that.
Echoing words from Niki Lauda, Wolff went on to play down rivals' fears that Mercedes could still mount a comeback in race-trim too, suggesting it is in 'no man's land' when it comes to long run pace.
"You cannot expect any miracles. Staying realistic, if you look at the long runs we have seen on Friday, we are a bit in no-man's land because Red Bull has been the quickest on the long runs followed by Ferrari and ourselves and then there is a bit of a gap to Williams.
"I don't expect us to perform much better unless we have some incidents or some very good driving from Lewis and Nico. You never know. But certainly Singapore is a track where it is difficult to overtake and where you have to look after brakes. The pace is the pace and how it was in qualifying was fifth and sixth and it wasn't any different on the long runs."
