Wolff: "Have the data that we are running more drag than any body else"

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff thinks his team should be "realistic about the performance level at the moment," which he says means that Mercedes is currently "the third team on the grid.

Mercedes has to settle for fifth and ninth on the grid. For the German racing team it did not come as a huge shock, as the team has been shouting for weeks that it cannot compete with the top. For the rest of the world, it was a wait and see until Q3, when it became clear that the team is indeed in trouble.

Wolff 'somewhat trepidatious' before the race

Wolff notes that Mercedes is losing time on the straight, where it has been supreme in the past. Mercedes "Have the data that we are running more drag than anybody else" the team boss concludes in conversation with Sky Sports.

Where does he think his team currently stands? The Austrian has a clear answer to that. "We are seven-tenths behind with one car, that's where we are," he says firmly. He adds that he is "somewhat hesitant" about where Mercedes will be during the race, but at the same time says he sees it as a learning process.

According to Wolff, the main problem lies in the fact that the car needs to be lower to get the downforce out, but cannot do so without suffering extreme porpoising. The Mercedes team boss expects to need a few races to get back into shape but warns that a comeback is definitely on the way.