Wolff: Mercedes success rooted in optimal 'merging' of engine and chassis

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the German outfit owes its sustained success in F1 to its efforts in achieving the best compromise between its engine and chassis performance.

Mercedes supremacy in F1 shows no signs of abating, the Silver Arrows squad winning every single race this year so far, putting itself on track for a sixth consecutive constrictors' title.

Ferrari appeared to make inroads into its rival's domination at Bahrain, but the Scuderia's performance has since regressed, leaving the Italian outfit trailing.

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While Mercedes' 2019 contender lacks the straight-line speed of Ferrari's SF90, its overall package is unrivaled, an advantage that Wolff justifies by the team's ability to reach the right blend of power and downforce.

"In the early days of the power unit regulation change, we had a car that was a low-drag, fast car on the straights carried by the might of the engine," Wolff explained.

"Over the years I think chassis and power unit have merged in order to extract the optimum lap time. And half of that was that the engine is still impressive, but we were able to wrap a chassis around it that has more downforce and more drag.

"We are not the quickest car anymore on the straights but we believe that the best compromise between these two blocks of performance works well for us."

Indeed, Mercedes' design approach and its interpretation of the aerodynamic changes embedded in this year's rules has led to a significant improvement of the performance of its car in low-speed corners, a chronic weakness in the past.

"Monaco, traditionally and historically wasn’t our best track. We knew that from the slow corners performance that we saw in Barcelona we have a chance, but Monaco is different.

"From pure car performance over a single lap, definitely we were the quickest.

"Montreal we did great last year. It’s a really exciting challenge and another great motivation to go there and try to perform as good as we can."

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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.