Wolff looks ahead: 'Since Australia, this has been Mercedes' focus'

Actually, Toto Wolff thought he would follow the Japanese Grand Prix at home from Monaco, but the Austrian has decided to travel to Suzuka after all. In the Land of the Rising Sun, Mercedes hope to reverse the negative spiral. That should happen after hard work on the set-up of the W15 at Mercedes' factory since the Australian Grand Prix.

Looking back at Melbourne, where Mercedes saw two cars play a supporting role and then drop out, Wolff can only draw one conclusion: it was a "difficult weekend". "It's good to get back racing in Japan this weekend," said the team principal. "Since Melbourne, we have been focused on improving the consistency of the W15. The car has shown signs of strong performance on occasion, but we've struggled to deliver this at the critical moments across the first three races."

"Suzuka, with its famously fast sweeps mixed with some low-speed content, plus elevation change, will provide a different challenge to the circuits we've raced at so far. It is therefore another good opportunity to build on our learnings and analyse the work that has been undertaken since Australia," Wolff added.

Changed conditions at Suzuka?

In recent years, Formula 1 have been racing in Japan during autumn. From this season, the race has been brought forward. "We head to Japan at a slightly earlier time of year than usual this season. Whilst it is unlikely to have a major impact, it will be important to understand any differences that this causes in terms of track conditions. One thing that won't change is the remarkable support from the Japanese fans. It is always a fantastic atmosphere at Suzuka and I am sure it will be the same once again this weekend," concluded Wolff.