Mercedes ‘taking nothing for granted’ in Singapore

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff insists the team is “taking absolutely nothing for granted” at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, despite being billed as the pre-race favourites.

Lewis Hamilton converted a sensational pole position lap into victory last year despite Mercedes anticipating a struggle at a circuit which has proved to be a bogey track for the German manufacturer in recent years.

A change in car design philosophy over the winter has resulted in Mercedes making significant downforce performance gains, leading to strong weekends around tight and twisty circuits such as Monaco and Hungary this year. Following successive defeats to Ferrari at Spa and Monza, Mercedes is looking to get back to winning ways in Singapore. 

“We came back from the summer break knowing that the first two races would be difficult for us,” Wolff explained.

“We ended up with two double podiums and 67 points which was a strong form of damage limitation and more than we expected.

“However, you could tell in the debriefs that Spa and Monza left us not satisfied and everyone in Brixworth and Brackley is pushing hard for more victories.

“The next race takes us to Singapore, a spectacular night race set and a great showcase for our sport,” he added.

“The offset schedule and the climate make it a demanding weekend for the team; temperatures in the garage can easily reach 40 degrees Celsius or more with high humidity levels as well.

“It's a tough environment to work in and it's equally challenging for the drivers and the car itself.

“For a long time, Singapore used to be one of our weakest tracks, but we've made some inroads into that and performed well last year.

“However, there are no home runs at a track like Singapore: we need to understand this car and this year's tyres on a very particular track layout and take absolutely nothing for granted in our approach to the weekend.

“We are looking forward to a tough battle under the lights in Singapore.”

Mercedes heads into this weekend’s race holding a huge 154-point advantage over nearest rivals Ferrari with seven rounds remaining, while Hamilton heads teammate Valtteri Bottas by 63 points.