Wolff: ‘We have the weapons at our disposal’

Smug Toto Wolff knows Mercedes has been holding back on its secret pieces and more power. Can Ferrari respond?

Mercedes' Toto Wolff says that the team are fully locked on to bouncing back after their loss to Ferrari in Malaysia, and says the team have the wherewithal to do so. Sepang was the first race that saw Mercedes defeated on merit since 2013, and understandably left the team somewhat shocked after Ferrari's long run pace caught them by surprise.

However, after adjusting to the fact that at least one team appears to have significantly cut their long-standing pace advantage, Mercedes are going into the Chinese GP weekend all guns blazing and determined to take back the top step of the podium.

"We left Malaysia with plenty to think about," said Wolff. "It may have been a good result for the sport – but for us, it was a wake-up call. This is something you cannot afford to happen often and, although we had two cars on the podium, we have been looking very carefully at every area where we could have performed better."

"Our opposition has raised its game and we must now raise ours even further; as we have said since Melbourne, we expect a season-long battle for both World Championships and we must maximize every opportunity. Lewis has a great record in China and for Nico, it’s where he made his first step into the winners circle. We have the weapons at our disposal – and we need to make the most of them this weekend."

Nico Rosberg hasn't had a fantastic start to the season despite his two podium finishes. He was overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton in both Australia and Malaysia and Nico was self-effacing when he said that he intends to reverse the trend this weekend in China:

"The last race weekend was not great for me. I didn’t get my lap together in qualifying, then losing time in the pits made it a tough race to fight back and try to catch Lewis. We've definitely learned some lessons and it's time to take that to the track in China. Shanghai is a great circuit for me. It's where I got my first pole and my first win back in 2012 – my third season with the Silver Arrows.

It's not been a perfect start to my sixth year with the team and I'm determined to turn that around this weekend. Of course, my teammate will have other ideas – and so will my compatriot in the red car, I'm sure. But this is a track that has always suited me well, so I'm aiming to put in a strong weekend."