Toto Wolff says with a big change there is some negativity to overcome

The Austrian was speaking in Mercedes' preview of the Chinese Grand Prix, where they will hope to continue their strong showing after prevailing in Melbourne last weekend.

Wolff toed the Formula 1 corporate line, saying: "Melbourne was an intense first race weekend under these new regulations and one that delivered plenty of excitement.

"As always with a big change, there are things to tweak and improve, and some negativity to overcome, but that's a normal part of the process, and it's important we listen to the fans and understand what's important to them," he added, trying to be balanced.

But then he went on saying: "There was plenty of racing through the field with drivers being challenged to get the most out of their cars. As teams gain knowledge and the field converges, I am confident that will only get better, too. Our focus is on doing the work required to be in that fight."

Reflecting on Mercedes' race down under, Wolff insisted it was not smooth as it appeared, as George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were one-two, respectively, both in Qualifying and the Grand Prix.

He said: "We faced several challenges in Australia, which was to be expected with such new cars. The team handled them well and overcame them to deliver the result we wanted.

"We came away with many learnings and areas to improve, which we will look to do in China. As it is a Sprint weekend with just one hour of practice, it is going to be even more difficult to get the car in a good place before the first competitive session.

"We saw a close fight at the front with Ferrari last weekend and several other teams who haven't shown their full potential yet, so we know we are in for a real battle," he insisted.

Wolff then returned to the utter hogwash pushed by F1's powers that be to sell us the new regulations; he said: "Hopefully as a sport we can put on another good show this weekend.

"F1 continues to go from strength to strength around the world, and China is no exception. We've seen brilliant crowds and huge interest since we returned to Shanghai in 2024.

"It is an important country for both our sport and Mercedes as an automotive manufacturer, and we look forward to racing there for many years to come," he concluded.