Sepang debrief instilled confidence at Mercedes

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Toto Wolff witnessed an impressive response from Mercedes' engineers at the team's post-race debrief in Sepang as the German squad tackles its performance slump.

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton increased their advantage over Ferrari and Sebastia Vettel thanks to the latter's reliability woes, but the relative under-performance of its W08 has left the team with more questions than answers.

A comprehensive and lengthy debrief conducted after the race left Wolff with the belief that no stone will be left unturned until Mercedes' engineers get to the bottom of the problem affecting their car's performance.

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"It is these moments that make you progress and I had the best race debrief in five years right now," he said.

"This is the feeling I have because it is just so painful.

"We benefited in the championship from the misfortune of Ferrari, but we didn't have the pace to challenge either Red Bull or Ferrari, and this is what remains the underlying feeling with all of us.

"We need to understand why we underperform on certain circuits and certain ambient conditions.

"Full credit to Red Bull and Ferrari for their performance, but I think we have underperformed in Singapore and we have underperformed in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

"This is what we need to concentrate on."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.