With Red Bull looking set to secure its fourth straight double championship victory this season, its rivals have now turned their attention to securing second.
At present, Ferrari holds the runner-up position by just seven points to Mercedes, whilst Lotus is a futher 61 points behind.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is sure third is guaranteed at worst, but says it’s important they beat Ferrari to second.
“It is important,” said the Austrian. “We have made a step forward and, at the moment, it looks like we are okay for third.
“But we are still very motivated and want to be at least the second best.”
Despite falling behind Ferrari, Wolff still believes Mercedes are quicker and will get even quicker before the season ends.
“I’m obviously biased, but if I look at the performance of the car – even in the Singapore race – I would say we are number two at the moment.
“It’s just the performance curve flattens out as you keep improving. It is something you see at the end of the season, and it is normal.
“But we keep putting parts on the car, and there are still points we are gaining.”
