Wolff: Spielberg will be a good test of our recent upgrades

The Mercedes Formula 1 Team, who have struggled to make gains from last season, saw success in Canada after bringing an updated suspension, which sought to cure their car's chronic tyre degradation issues.

The replay on ESPN+ Free Trial shows that George Russell secured pole position and the win, while Kimi Antonelli took his first Formula 1 career podium in third, which meant a haul of 40 points from the weekend, their best of the season.

Looking ahead to the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff made comments about the expectations; he said: "Though we have made solid progress with our car in recent weeks, we know that we cannot expect this level of performance each and every weekend.

"The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its absence of high-speed corners and a more closed tarmac that puts less stress on the tyres, suited the W16," he admitted.

Indeed, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve suited the Mercedes W16 despite temperatures reaching 50°C on race day, which at other tracks would have hurt Mercedes, who have self-assessed the weaknesses of their W16 in hot conditions.

However, this puts into question whether Mercedes has resolved the weakness that has burdened their car for the best part of three seasons.

But Wolff looks at this weekend in Austria as a true test of Mercedes upgrades but is also keeping the faith in delivering a decent result.

He added: "The track in Spielberg will be a good test of our recent updates and provide another reference point for our progress.

"There is still a long way to go this season. We will look to maximize our points scoring and hopefully be able to challenge for the podium once again," Wolff concluded.

Mercedes have a good record at the Red Bull Ring, holding the track record set by Valtteri Bottas in 2020 but also boasting six wins at the home race of Red Bull Racing, with George Russell securing a ‘lucky’ victory the last time F1 visited the track.

Mercedes' chances at a win lie in the hands of the McLarens and Max Verstappen as they remain the season-long pace setters, and with Verstappen having a team home-boost, alongside the orange army cheering him on, it is certainly game on between the top teams.