Toto Wolff is expecting Red Bull and Ferrari to come back stronger for the Canadian Grand Prix - after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell snuck on to the podium in Spain.
Mercedes have struggled so far this season but climbed into second in the Constructors' Championships as Hamilton and Russell finished second and third respectively. Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen won for the fifth time in the opening seven races and dominated the Spanish Grand Prix once again.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who is second in the Drivers' standings, finished fourth in Barcelona as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz made up the top five. However, ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Mercedes chief Wolff believes their competitors will respond in North America after their impressive race.
"The result in Spain was a well-deserved reward for everyone's efforts at Brackley and Brixworth to bring our update package to the track. We were pleased with how it performed, and it will provide a new baseline for us to build from," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports.
"But we must also manage our expectations. It was a circuit that suited our car, and we should expect our direct competitors to be stronger in the next races. The gap to Red Bull is large and it will take lots of hard work to close that down. Nevertheless, we're up for the challenge.
"We now move on to Montreal. With its long straights and low-speed corners, it's not a track that we expect to suit our car as well as Barcelona did.
"No matter where the true pace of the car is this weekend, we will aim to maximise our result. The characteristics of the circuit will also provide further opportunity to learn about the W14 and feed into our development path."
One thing that didn't change in Spain is Verstappen's dominance. The 2021 and 2022 world champion has dominated the Formula 1 scene over the past few years but he would welcome some much-needed competition after Mercedes' improvement.
Verstappen said : "Yeah, it's great for the sport in general if you have more teams fighting up front. That's what they want to achieve, so honestly, that would be amazing, to have more drivers really up there. Hopefully throughout the year it will get closer and maybe next year there are more teams really up there."
"They had a very strong race, to be honest," Verstappen added. "I think they are improving but from our side, it’s not about being worried. We just have to focus on ourselves, trying to keep on improving the car.
"At the moment it all looks great, it’s a good period. I’m happy in the car, and the last few race weekends have definitely been a lot more positive for me."
