Wolff hopes new W09 retains the qualities of the 'diva'

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is expecting the team's 2018 challenger to be a more consistent performer than its predecessor while retaining the W08's qualities.

The Silver Arrows squad will be pushing the boundaries of performance once again this year, but vowed to design a less 'diva' car for 2018, one which will have hopefully rubbed out the W08's unpredictable or vicious nature while preserving its successful assets.

The W09's design and manufacturing process has gone according to plan over the winter, although validation of the team's work will only be delivered in Barcelona when pre-season testings kicks off at the end of the month.

• Mercedes lobbying for return of active suspension in F1

"It's never going completely seamlessly or smoothly, because you are trying to push the boundaries, make the cars as light as possible and - eventually - as quick as possible," Wolff said.

"We have had a good winter, I would say. No real drama, but there is always stress within the organisation at this time of year."

Labeled a 'diva car' by Wolff last year, the W08 was still a championship winning machine at the hands of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

"Some of the character traits from a diva, we like," Wolff said.

"The W08 was the fastest car in Formula 1, it scored the most pole positions and won the most races. So, you need to be careful not to dump the things that actually work on the car, just to remedy the difficulties the car showed.

"We analysed it properly and when we go testing in a month's time, we will see if the car is a little bit better behaved or not."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter