Mercedes are counting on some "minor" upgrades delivering the boost required to beat Ferrari this weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Ferrari have hit back against Mercedes' domination this season, delivering wins in Belgium, Italy and Singapore and they looked set for a 1-2 finish in Russia before a reliability issue hit Sebastian Vettel's car and scuppered their strategy, allowing Mercedes to snatch the victory.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff recognises the fact that Mercedes have fallen behind Ferrari and is hopeful that their upgrades this weekend will put them ahead again, but it will likely also require a perfect weekend if they're to outsmart the Italian squad.
"Claiming a 1-2 in Sochi after three races without a win was a great feeling," said Wolff. "We delivered a strong race in Russia, made the most of our opportunities and both Lewis and Valtteri drove flawlessly.
"We brought home 44 points, built the gap in both championships and are highly motivated to keep our foot on the throttle for the remaining five races.
"However, the win in Sochi doesn’t change the fact that Ferrari had a stronger start to the second part of the season than we did," he added.
"We’ll bring some minor upgrades to the car in Japan which will hopefully help us take a step in the right direction; however, we know that we need to extract absolutely everything from our car and the tyres if we want to be able to challenge for a win."
Mercedes could secure the Constructors' Championship this weekend if they outscore Ferrari by 15 points – another 1-2 finish would do the job – and whilst they have a strong track record at Suzuka, Wolff knows it'll be a close fight.
"We have a strong track record [here], having won every Japanese Grand Prix in the hybrid era, but we expect this year to be challenging given the strength of our opponents.
"It will be a very close battle on track – and one that we very much look forward to. Our targets for the final quarter of the season is clear and it’s up to us to make sure we achieve them."
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