Wolff was surprised by Ferrari's lack of pace in China

Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes were surprised by Ferrari’s lack of pace at the Chinese Grand Prix but did reveal that the Mercedes exits were very good.

Mercedes secured a third consecutive one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix following the races in Bahrain and Australia, the first time this has happened since the 1992 season of Williams dominance. It has been well known that Ferrari have superior straight-line speed but in China, the team lacked severely in the slower corners costing them dearly, as Mercedes pulled away for the win.

Wolff admitted he was aware of their strengths but surprised by Ferrari’s downfall in the corners saying: “I believed their straight-line advantage, especially in the opening laps, would be a danger for us and when DRS was enabled, even more.

“We didn’t see them coming anywhere near.

“I think our exit onto the main straight out of Turn 13 was very good. We were able to put a little gap there so they were never close enough.

“But it came as a surprise.

“With every team, you need to get the balance right between the drag power and downforce level,” the Austrian added.