Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says his team should not overreact after suffering a difficult Singapore Grand Prix weekend, but admits the “blip” cannot be dismissed either.
Struggling for pace around Marina Bay Circuit, the defending champions never were a factor in the race, with Nico Rosberg taking a lonely fourth after team-mate Lewis Hamilton had to retire because of a turbo boost leak.
“You need to find the right balance,” said Wolff. “You cannot write it off and say that was a one-off, but on the other hand you can't say we are terrified by this because then you are going into panic mode and that would be completely inappropriate and wrong.”
Although Rosberg topped the opening free practice, Mercedes’ Singapore troubles became evident soon after, with Hamilton finishing nearly one second off pole sitter Sebastian Vettel.
Having seen his team rule the F1 roost since the introduction of the new V6 turbocharged power units, Wolff confesses he is still at a loss to fully explain Mercedes’ sudden drop in competitiveness.
“I'm always on the pessimistic side, but I don't believe we've lost car performance from one weekend to the other in a dramatic way like we did, and equally I don't believe someone found a second and a half from one race to the other.”
“It's the tyre. We spoke to the drivers and the degradation was just massive, which is unexplainable for us.”
“We need to stay calm, because it is a very specific circuit, very specific in how the tyre operates. We have Suzuka in one week. The car is the same. We have not lost performance in the car. We just need a methodical approach.”
Hamilton’s first retirement in over a year also means Vettel has closed the gap to 49 points – i.e. less than the amount awarded for two race wins – in the Drivers’ standings.
While Wolff duly admits Ferrari is poised to remain a threat until the end, the Mercedes motorsport boss also points at the fact that Maranello has already experienced bad outings too.
“We have already seen that in Monza, when they brought their new engine they clearly made a step forward.
“They will continue to develop the car, but we shouldn't fall into depression because you have to remember Spa where they had a very difficult weekend and their car wasn't good enough for a podium.
“We just need to stay focused and aware that we are a very solid team with a solid car and a solid engine.”
REPORT: Vettel takes third win as Hamilton retires in Singapore
AS IT HAPPENED: 2015 Singapore Grand Prix
Click here for some of the most memorable crashes at Singapore
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