Wolff on Austrian Grand Prix: 'Have to be at our best to be on the podium again'

The Mercedes team principal is delighted with his team's performance curve, stating that the result in Barcelona is "payback after work". "We knew Barcelona would be a good measure of our recent progress. The team has worked hard to improve the W15 at circuits with a wide corner speed range, like Barcelona."

Wolff does not want to push too hard

Still, Wolff is not getting carried away for now. "Those incremental gains helped us build on the momentum from Montreal. Although we didn't have the ultimate pace to compete for the win, it was encouraging to be in the mix. Lewis scored a well-deserved podium and George managed his final stint well to take P4. We came away from the weekend with solid points but we know there is more work to do to be in with a realistic chance of fighting for victories. That work is ongoing, and we are on a positive trajectory."

Wolff argues that Austria is a different type of circuit that logically brings different challenges. Still, he hopes Mercedes can fight at the front again at the Red Bull Ring. "We head to Austria looking to continue that positive progress. It is a very different circuit to last weekend. There is plenty of low to mid-speed content, punctuated by some longer straights. That will provide another challenge and reference point for our car. The group at the front of the field is tightly packed and we will have to be at our best to challenge for the podium once again," concluded the team principal.