Mercedes: Performance might count for nothing in Baku

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admits that Mercedes' impressive performance so far this season may count for nothing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even if Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are able to tame Baku as they have the first three races of 2019.

Mercedes won in Australia, Bahrain and China – securing one-two finishes each time – to open up a big lead in the constructors' standings, while Hamilton tops Bottas in the drivers' championship.

Having seemingly gotten a grip on the W10 better than Ferrari have managed with the SF90 so far, the Silver Arrows will head to Baku confident of repeating the victory secured by Hamilton last year.

However, that previous race also serves as a warning, with Bottas having suffered a puncture late on from the lead, and Wolff concedes that much will be out of the team's hands around Baku. "The next stop will take us to Azerbaijan where we've seen some very entertaining races in recent years and I'm sure that this year will be no different," Wolff said.

"The layout of the track presents unique challenges and it will be interesting to see which team will find the best compromise to deal with the mixture of long straights and slow corners.

"Baku is not purely about performance, though, and staying out of trouble is also important for a good result in Azerbaijan.

"Valtteri drove a strong race last year but a puncture denied him a well-deserved victory shortly before the end.

"He's had a good start to this season and I'm sure he will be hungry to go for the points he didn't get last year. Unlike last year, Lewis heads to Baku leading the Championship and will undoubtedly be looking to repeat his win from 2018."

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