Mercedes finding no comfort in championship advantage

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that Mercedes' current advantage in the world championship is no comfort to the team. The Silver Arrows currently lead rivals Ferrari by 37 points in the constructor's standings with six races remaining in the 2018 season.

Lewis Hamilton leads the driver's championship by 40 points over Sebastian Vettel. The Briton has taken victory at the last two Grands Prix, and is now the clear favourite to take his fifth world title. 

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However, despite the advantage the German manufacturer has over its Italian challenger, Wolff claims that Mercedes can't rest on its laurels and is aiming to pull even further clear of Ferrari, who is targeting its first championship in a decade.

"It's obviously better to have a lead than to not have it, but there are six races remaining and plenty of points to score, so it doesn't give us any comfort,” said Wolff. “We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimise the car in every possible area - and we will go for the race win.

“There is no naïve optimism about our situation within the team: our mind-set is very positive, we are energised, the factories are buzzing and we're excited for the fight that we will certainly have in the next six races We have a good track record in Sochi but we know that Ferrari and Red Bull will give it everything to break our winning streak, so we must fight as hard as ever to make sure we bring home as many points as possible.”

This weekend, Formula 1 arrives in Russia for the latest round at a circuit that Mercedes has never been defeated at. Hamilton won at the Sochi Autodrome twice (2014, 2015) before Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas took victory in 2016 and 2017 respectively.