Mercedes focused on itself, not distracted by Ferrari form – Toto Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team’s mindset is to focus on itself, rather than become side-tracked by the form of rival Ferrari.

Mercedes was locked in a tight battle with Ferrari for much of the campaign, with the teams level on victories at the mid-season mark, and separated by only a handful of points.

But Mercedes has pulled clear through four straight wins for Lewis Hamilton, while Ferrari has suffered amid a lack of pace and a series of setbacks.

Hamilton now holds a 67-point advantage over Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers’ battle while Mercedes is 78 points clear of Ferrari in the Constuctors’ race.

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“I think what we’re trying to do is really to look at ourselves,” said Wolff.

“They had a very strong Spa weekend, and we didn’t perform as per the expectations that we have now.

“Since then we have continued to really try to optimise our package and do the best possible job on the car and in the car with the drivers, and that has proven as the right tactic.

“Somehow none of us are looking at where Ferrari is or how the championship goes; it’s just aligning those weekends that eventually hopefully will lead to a situation where we say we have won it.”

Wolff believes that Mercedes’ form across the past three events, at wildly different venues, proves that it has made substantial strides with its W09, irrespective of Ferrari's own setbacks.

“We have made a big step forward since Spa,” he stressed.

“Monza, Singapore and now [Suzuka] are three very different tracks, and we took it as an ambition to perform on all three to prove to ourselves that we are capable to deliver a car on every sort of track.

“There’s the high-speed Monza race track; twisty, hot Singapore city circuit; and then Suzuka, which has a little bit of everything.

“I think now we have the car in a really good position.

“We understand how the aero works with the tyres, the drivers really feel well and have a lot of confidence in the car, and al that together I think made us outperform our competitors.”