Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists that the manufacturer has not been lured into the “danger” of misjudging its Singapore result, and has focused on understanding why it struggled for pace.
Mercedes was braced for a difficult time in Singapore, after low-key showings in Monaco and Hungary, and the squad duly lacked pace in practice and qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas lined up from the third row of the grid but Hamilton captured the lead, his path hugely aided by Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen and Max Verstappen colliding on the run to Turn 1.
Hamilton went on to triumph, with Bottas third, but Wolff has stressed that Mercedes has not been duped by the result, and has concentrated on understanding its lack of performance.
“The result in Singapore came as a surprise for us all – and the danger of a result like that is to misjudge your own level of performance,” said Wolff.
“But within the team, our focus since finishing first and third has been on the painful moments of the Singapore weekend – why we struggled in the long runs on Friday and our lack of performance over one lap in qualifying – to learn as much as possible for the rest of the season.
“We have deepened our understanding of those problems and we will take that learning with us into the final races.”
Despite its unexpected triumph in Singapore, Wolff outlined that Mercedes will not be changing its attitude to the remaining six Grands Prix, in its battle with Ferrari.
“The last race was a strong reminder that sport always has the power to surprise and defy all predictions,” he said.
“We have been on the receiving end of those bad moments before, and we know that they can happen as easily to us as anybody else.
“The result in Singapore doesn't change anything in terms of how we approach the final six races, beginning this weekend in Malaysia.
“We will need to be at the top of our game on every track if we want to maintain our lead in both championships to the end of the season.”
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