Wolff says Mercedes are wary of rivals

Hamilton team boss ponders impact of rule changes ahead of first race

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team are preparing for Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix uncertain if they are still the all-conquering force of Formula One.

Mercedes have won 51 of the last 59 grands prix en route to claiming three consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championships during an unprecedented reign of dominance.

But changes to the sport’s technical rulebook during the off-season have offered fresh hope to Mercedes’ rivals, and it is not clear whether the Brackleybased team will still be the ones to beat in Albert Park this weekend.

Indeed Ferrari, whose challenge will be spearheaded by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, enjoyed eight strong days of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

And the famous Italian team, who failed to register a victory last year and are without a drivers’ champion in more than a decade, will head into the new campaign cautiously optimistic.

“What we’ve seen from Barcelona is that the margins at the front of the field have shrunk,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said yesterday.

“We’ll see how that pans out in Melbourne, because we still don’t know about the fuel loads, weights or power settings of the other cars,” he said.

The cars are wider, faster and more aggressive in their design this year in a bid to spice up a show dominated by Hamilton’s Mercedes team.

In the sport’s long history, no constructor has been able to stay on top of the sport following a major overhaul of its regulations. It is a point Wolff was keen to stress.

“We have been very successful over the last three years through stable rules, but no team has ever maintained its success over such a big regulation change before,” he said.

“In a way, it’s just what the doctor ordered; to have such a challenge is good for the team.”

Hamilton, who arrived in Melbourne last night, will be partnered by Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas this year following Nico Rosberg’s retirement.

Picture: Getty. Toto Wolff said the challenge posed by new regulations is good for his Mercedes team.