Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has emphasised that the squad must improve, labelling its advantage atop the Constructors’ Championship of little comfort, after another defeat in Formula 1.
Having missed out to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in Australia and Bahrain, Valtteri Bottas used the undercut to jump ahead in China and take control of the race.
Bottas was ultimately undone by the deployment of the Safety Car, which allowed Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo to take on fresher and softer tyres, facilitating his charge through the pack to claim victory.
It marked the first time in the hybrid era that Mercedes has failed to take a win across a three-race spell, and it has picked up just one win in six, when the final trio of 2017 events are considered.
Despite missing out on victory, the runner-up spot for Bottas and fourth for a subdued Lewis Hamilton lifted Mercedes above Ferrari and into the lead of the Constructors’ battle for the first time in 2018, by a single point.
However, Wolff says that doesn’t lift Mercedes’ mood in the wake of another defeat.
“P2 and P4 is some good damage limitation from a tricky race but it is little comfort that this puts us in the lead of the Constructors' Championship as we head home,” said Wolff.
“We have seen the competitive picture change quickly over the past three races and it's clear that we still have much to understand about our car and how to get the best from the tyres.
“We have been in tough spots before in recent years and shown the right spirit to respond. We will do the same again this time.”
Wolff nonetheless praised Bottas for his drive, believing the Finn to be unfortunate to miss out on victory in light of the Safety Car call.
“Ultimately, the reality of the pace is that we lacked pace in each phase – Sebastian managed the performance in the opening stint, building a good gap to Valtteri, and the Red Bulls were significantly faster on fresher tyres after the Safety Car,” said Wolff.
“The best part of our day was undoubtedly Valtteri's drive: the pit wall called an aggressive undercut, the boys delivered a perfect pit stop and he claimed first the position over Sebastian, then the lead from Kimi [Raikkonen] with a bold pass round the outside.
“We saw a real fighter in the car and, while he was unfortunate with the Safety Car timing opening the door for Red Bull, he protected P2 in a perfect way.”
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