Eight wins from eight races, six of them 1-2, and as he looks ahead to this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff still appears to be playing the underdog card.

"Our result in last year's Austrian Grand Prix was the low point of the 2018 season," he admits. "A double DNF after a promising front-row lockout meant that we left a lot of points on the table.

"The race was a cruel reminder how quickly things can go wrong in our sport and that reliability and performance go hand in hand in Formula One," he adds.

"This year, our race finishing record has been good," he continues, Mercedes being the only team to have completed all 978 racing laps thus far, "but it would be complacent to ignore the fact that for two weekends in a row now, our mechanics had to perform the equivalent of "open-heart surgery" on our cars.

"We've faced a number of different issues on different components, each of which could have easily caused us to retire, so we need to get on top of those challenges as quickly as possible.

"The forecast for Austria predicts temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius and more, combined with the reduced air density owing to the track's location at altitude, this means that cooling could become a real challenge.

"Add to that the short lap and the close gaps on that circuit and our direction is clear: we need to keep working diligently, stay humble and give it everything to do a better job than we managed 12 months ago."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by equator180, 28/06/2019 6:35

"I think there is an error in anatomy, nothing to do with the heart, its the constipation of BS in the intestinal tract."

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2. Posted by Chris Roper, 26/06/2019 23:26

"Well Toto does have a tendency to make Aesop's "Cry Wolf" take on a dual meaning."

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3. Posted by Barslug, 26/06/2019 19:30

"It is this way of thinking that keeps Mercedes on top. The best is not good enough. Never stop improving and never rest on your laurels. Don’t hate or blame Mercedes for their success. "

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4. Posted by Lapps, 26/06/2019 13:56

"If Mercedes really want to spice up the show, they could start from the Pit Lane! They would probably still win, but it would be a better spectacle. "

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5. Posted by F One, 26/06/2019 13:43

"Toto is so full of ****. Give it up man. You're going to win every race and kill the sport dead."

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6. Posted by Kkiirmki, 25/06/2019 23:21

""This year, our race finishing record has been good," way to undersell it, Toto. For the sake of the season, we can only hope for another double DNF. "

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Wolff fears more "open-heart surgery" for W10

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