Mercedes handed positive feedback on update package amid Red Bull's rise

Antonelli finished on the podium at both the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, and remains firmly in control of the drivers' championship battle. He now leads his teammate George Russell by 102 points in the standings.

However, the latest update package Mercedes has introduced has been a cause for concern for the German outfit, as there were doubts whether the latest changes made the car slower. Russell also ran the team's previous package at Singapore. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing is gaining momentum as Max Verstappen has won back-to-back Grands Prix.

Speaking to GPblog, among others, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also warned off a full-on fight next year with Verstappen and the Austrian outfit.

He commented: "Really, you have to take your hat off for what Red Bull has done this season, how they have developed the car and how it's all come together as a package. Then you put Max Verstappen in the car, and when he feels that this thing is driving like he wants it to drive, then, you know, these are the results. It's been by far the quickest guy today. It's been the quickest guy in Kuala Lumpur."

The Italian said Mercedes was not able to fully maximize the car, however, he is optimistic about the package in general.

He began: "I think on this track, not yet. On this track, where you have a lot of slow speed, still not quite there in terms of performance. It's just because with the old package, you know exactly where to put the car, which window, and the car works very nicely.

"So also in driving, it's very sensitive to any differences that you do in the way you approach a corner or how you attack braking. So, I feel like, yes, the package is going to be faster and it's going to be, yeah, I think it can be a good step forward once we understand how to use the full potential," the current championship leader explained.