Mercedes: We expect the competition to be tougher

The 2016 Formula One World Championship kicks off this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix from the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "It seems like we've never been away. Although the season starts later than usual, the work has been non-stop over the winter. Under stable regulations you are not looking to re-invent the wheel and you cannot expect huge development jumps.

"But looking for small, carefully evaluated steps forward in every area is equally challenging. There is always room for progress and we have found some interesting developments. It gives me great pride to see how the team continues to innovate in exciting ways.

"Motivation is crucial to performance and you need to set ambitious targets to keep that drive high. These change from year to year. When I first arrived, it was becoming a front running team. Then, it was winning the title. Then, proving to ourselves that it wasn't a one-off.

"And now, it's creating sustainable success - building the team and the organisation as a whole. We're realistic with ourselves. We know we won't win every race and every Championship. But we want to be up there fighting for it every year and putting on a great show, so that's the target.

"We expect the competition to be tougher than ever this year. Expectations are high, both internally and externally. But Ferrari look confident and there will likely be other teams involved in the battle.

"Testing is about clocking mileage and understanding the car, so there is no clear order at this point. But if it were to be this way, that's something we would enjoy.

"We are racers and we love a challenge. Having an enemy pumps you up for a battle - and having strong competitors motivates us to push even harder.

"This is not a sport where you can relax. The minute you start being complacent you lose out, so you have to keep the energy in the system and we are doing this all the time. Likewise, the drivers need to keep raising their game.

"They are major competition for each other in the same car, which is not always going to be easy to handle. But with others also in the mix, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic evolves. We've shown in the past two seasons that there are no team orders - and this does not change.

"Formula One is a sport - but it is also entertainment. Controversy, both on and off track, makes headlines. That's not a bad thing - it's part of the world we live in. But we can think about that later. For now, I can't wait for the flag to drop in Melbourne: let battle commence..."

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical): "Firstly, congratulations to the team at Brackley and Brixworth on an incredible achievement in the delivery of this car. We saw an unprecedented level of reliability during pre-season testing, with over six thousand kilometers completed.

"That's almost the same mileage in eight days as we achieved across twelve days last year, demonstrating clear progress in our ability to prepare for a new season. However, it's still early days, and there are no Championship points for testing.

"What's equally pleasing is to see evidence of continuous innovation. Innovation drives us forward - and it's clear to see on our car that nobody in the team is resting on their laurels.

"But while we were pleased with our performance in Barcelona, we have no definite sense of how we measure up relative to the competition. This creates tension - but mainly excitement to see where we stand.

"The first qualifying session of the year is, for me, the most exciting hour of the whole Formula One calendar. This is where you get your final exam marks for all the hard work over the many months needed to put together a new car. It's the first time we see all of the cars and drivers on the limit - gloves off, flat out.

"Once you get through qualifying and see where you stand, good or bad, a lot of that winter tension is relieved and translated into plans for the future. Whether it's maintaining a gap or closing on a target ahead, the objective becomes clear.

"After an intense winter, the team enjoys arriving in Melbourne. There is a great buzz as the paddock gets back to work, with new kit, some new faces and this year even a new team. We also have some significant new sporting regulations concerning tyre compound choices, driver communications in the race and qualifying format.

"Put together I am expecting these changes to create far more variation, uncertainty and excitement for the fans, while testing even further the ability of Nico, Lewis and the race team to perform under pressure. We're looking forward to it!