Wolff warns his team

RUSSIAN GP: ‘NO COMPLACENCY’ ON A TRACK WHERE THEY HAVE NEVER LOST

Sochi

Defending champions Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will seek to tighten their grip on this year’s Formula One world championship with a fifth triumph in five years at the Russian Grand Prix.

No other team has tasted victory here since the event began at the former Winter Olympic venue in 2014, Hamilton winning then and in 2015, Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Valtteri Bottas last year.

And with a 40-point lead on Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the title race, four-time champion Hamilton looks set to go into the final six races of the season in confident fashion after four wins in his last five outings.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has warned against complacency as they enter the championship’s most critical spell.

Hamilton’s dazzling triumph in Singapore, where his pole lap was widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, may have lifted him into a position with a clear advantage, but Wolff has stressed that rivals Ferrari will be a serious threat in every contest.

“Obviously, it’s better to have a lead than not to, but there are six races to go and plenty of points to score – so it doesn’t give us any comfort,” he said.

“We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimise the car in every possible area – and we will go for the race win.”

Wolff made it clear also that he will not be surprised to see Bottas recover his best form at a circuit where he won last year.

“For every racing driver, it’s a very difficult situation because everything you dream about and everything you work for is to win the world championship,” he said.

“He has always been a team player and that is one of his greatest traits. He could have won races this year, but the odds were against him.”

Vettel, also chasing a fifth drivers’ crown, knows he also has to deliver this time after struggling to third place in Singapore.

“Russia has been getting better for us in the last few years,” he said. “It should suit our car too. I don’t think we have to fear any of the tracks coming up now.

Red Bull could be a serious threat to both Ferrari and Mercedes, however, as Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, who turns 21 tomorrow, try to make the most of the street track that may favour their car’s performance. –