Ambitious Wolff sends warning to rivals as F1 heads to Austria

It was a great moment for Mercedes in Montreal, after Russell's deserved victory. Looking back on the last race in Canada, Wolff says: "Victory and a double podium in Montreal were a reward for the hard work of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth."

But he also says: "Though we have made solid progress with our car in recent weeks, we know that we cannot expect this level of performance each and every weekend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its absence of high-speed corners and a more closed tarmac that puts less stress on the tyres, suited the W16."

The Mercedes team boss definitely sees opportunities for his squad: "Building on the momentum from Canada is therefore our focus. The track in Spielberg will be a good test of our recent updates and provide another reference point for our progress."

"There is still a long way to go this season. We will look to maximise our points scoring and hopefully be able to challenge for the podium once again," says Wolff, thereby issuing a warning to his competitors.

Mercedes' Deputy Technical Officer Simone Resta, revealed that the German team were bringing further updates to the Austrian Grand Prix, from which the team expects not game-changing performance, but incremental gains. Should they gel together well, can a victory for Mercedes be in the cards?