No complacency as Mercedes figures out 'diva' car

Despite inflicting a crushing blow to Ferrari at Suzuka, Mercedes is refraining from complacency and keeping its focus on the immediate road ahead.

Lewis Hamilton now enjoys a commanding 59-point lead over arch rival Sebastian Vettel, but team boss Toto Wolff isn't taking the favorable position for granted.

"Something is certain only when it cannot be another way," Wolff told Sport Bild.

"This year we have seen one of the toughest world championships in a long time, and now we have to keep doing everything to make the season a success for us," he added.

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Wolff's caution is rooted in the somewhat unpredictable nature of its W08 and in the fact that the wind can always change direction, as Ferrari's sudden reliability issues in Asia demonstrated.

"Our car is still a diva," he said. "And Sebastian's fate in the last three races shows how fast things can change.

"In racing, the unpredictable can always happen and there are still 100 points in play. We will not take the foot off the gas until we have the title," Wolff insisted.

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda is on the same page as Toto Wolff when it comes to exerting caution.

"Suzuka was an incredible step forward," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"But the title is still not in the bag. But it does look better and easier for us now."

The F1 legend also confirms that Mercedes is still grappling to understand its 2017 car.

"At the moment, everyone is still searching for the answers," said Lauda.

The great Austrian insisted that Mercedes is much better when leading a race, as opposed to when it is forced to chase a rival car.

"This is due to our aero package," he said. "To avoid the problem, we need to be in front."

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