F1 News: Mercedes Need 'A Game' To Counter Ferrari Threat, Wolff Says

After pre-season testing prior to the start of the 2018 Formula 1 season, Mercedes were expected to run away with both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for the fifth consecutive year after they proved to be well ahead of their main rivals Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.

And Lewis Hamilton was favorite to win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after his pole position lap was almost a second quicker than the second-placed Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. The Briton led the race for 24 laps, but a computer glitch and a virtual safety car gifted the win to Sebastian Vettel.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was expected to be closer between the three teams, but Mercedes were again favorite as the desert circuit is power sensitive owing to the long straights in the first and final sectors. The Silver Arrows team struggled to get the super soft tire working in the hot temperatures, while Ferrari seemed to have no such problems as both cars qualified on the front row.

Vettel looked comfortable at leading the race until Mercedes switched their strategy and put pressure on the Ferrari driver in the latter part of the race. The German held on and went to take his second win of the season which now puts him 17-points ahead of his main title rival Hamilton, who could only finish third after starting ninth — his low starting position was due to a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff admits that the season has not started as expected for Mercedes and is aware they need to have error-free races to get back to winning ways. It was the second race in a row where they had just one car to battle the Ferrari’s at the head of the field after Valtteri Bottas’ crash in Australia left him starting from 15th.

Ferrari and Red Bull have proved they do have the car capable to challenge Mercedes on a regular basis this year despite the latter struggling with reliability issues in the opening two races. Wolff has called on his team to bring their A game for the forthcoming races as both Mercedes and Hamilton are not keen on losing further ground in the championship battle to Ferrari.

“This is not the start to the 2018 season we had hoped for," Wolff said, as quoted on Sky Sports F1. "For two races in a row, we did damage limitation with one car and lost the win with the other. Both races were decided by fine margins, but that doesn't make it any better; in fact, it probably makes it more frustrating."

"The competition is extremely close in 2018 and Melbourne was already a strong reminder that there is absolutely no margin for imperfections or mistakes in this year's title fight. While we saw a completely different race in Bahrain and lost for different reasons, the message stayed the same: In order to win this year, we need to bring our A game,” he added.

There is no time to rest for the drivers and teams after the Bahrain Grand Prix that concluded Sunday as they head straight to China for the third race of the season on April 15. The Shanghai International Circuit has been a successful hunting ground for Hamilton, who has won there on five occasions and the team will be hoping it continues as a third loss will certainly put them on the back foot in the title race.