Toto Wolff dismissed the idea that a podium and improved pace from Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone means Mercedes will be as competitive at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Brit finished third after a nail-biting final few laps, edging out Charles Leclerc to take the final podium spot. Considering how well the car was running, the weekend's result might have been just as good for George Russell had he not been taken out of the race in a multi-car crash at the first corner.
Despite the obvious improvement, the next race promises to be a sterner test. Mercedes' form at the Red Bull Ring is poor compared to most other Formula 1 venues, as the Silver Arrows have won just two of the last six races in Styria.
And Wolff has predicted another tough weekend, in a rather glum prediction considering his team's recent improvement. Asked if Hamilton's British Grand Prix performance gives him hope for this weekend, he told Motorsport Total : "Nothing at all. Nothing at all, actually.
"We were back in the game at Silverstone but that doesn't mean it will be again [in Austria]. On the soft, the car didn't work well. We saw that the pace wasn't there afterwards either, but if you don't lose the place to [Sergio] Perez and overtake [Charles] Leclerc quickly with the old tyres, then we might have been able to race for victory.
"But the start didn't work out and then it was a chain reaction. It shows how quickly you change expectations. A few weeks ago, we said a third-place finish on our own would be great and today [at Silverstone] we could have taken a win. Therefore, yes, you have to take the positives."
Wolff then added to Speedweek : "We were able to see some light at the end of the tunnel in Barcelona and then struggled on three street circuits. So I don't want to praise us too much or be too pessimistic, I'd rather stay cautious. We still had our persistent ride height problem on all three days, which we really need to get to grips with.
"But we showed strong pace this weekend, which is pleasing, and our updates obviously worked well. There will be some corners in Austria that our car hasn't handled well in the past, but that's a constant learning process for us. It's going to be quite difficult to win this year, but we just have to get the performance of the car right."
Despite their performance issues this season, Mercedes have kept themselves within touching distance of the top two thanks to some impressive results. Russell's consistency and Hamilton's experience have helped them to score 204 points so far, and the team sits third in the standings, 61 behind Ferrari but further adrift of leaders Red Bull.
