Wolff: Mercedes has to remain "ambitious"

Toto Wolff insists that despite Mercedes' run of dominance since 2014, the team cannot afford to become complacent. The Silver Arrows won their toughest battle yet since the beginning of the hybrid era against Ferrari, eventually winning out and taking both titles in 2018.

Wolff insisted that his team needed to remain "ambitious" with the threat of a Ferrari title challenge a reality and a Red Bull resurgence seemingly a possibility with Honda next season.

"We have seen throughout the season that all engine manufacturers including us have made big steps," Wolff is quoted by Crash.net.

"Ferrari had a very, very strong power unit this year. Honda really made big improvements, with exceptional performances in a Toro Rosso. And also Renault propelled the Red Bull to a winning candidate at almost every race at the end of the season.

"You can see engine performance has been converging, and we have been the leader of the pack for many years now, and in order to stay the leader next year again and return to this position, we need to push very hard and we need to set ambitious targets.

"But as Formula 1 has become an efficiency formula that is important, you need to have the most powerful engine that actually finishes the race. It’s not only about peak performance but peak reliability. That balance is very difficult."

Red Bull's late-season peak in performance could be an indication of another contender for Mercedes to deal with on a more regular basis next season. The Mercedes boss also reflected on opportunities in 2018 in which the team failed to assert their dominance, the result at Silverstone a particular 'lowlight' for the team.

"As you can imagine, it’s Lewis’ home grand prix and our team is based in Brackley. Losing on a track where it was a track where we’ve always performed well was very difficult.

"But we collected all the energy within the organisation and came back strong."