Toto Wolff: "We had the win right in front of us"

Was Silverstone a "we can fight" moment for Mercedes.

The British GP was one of the most encouraging for Mercedes this season, proving legitimate contenders for the victory and matching Ferrari's performance.

Whilst Mercedes also proved capable of fighting for victory at the Spanish GP; the Silver Arrows will be encouraged that the W13 shows immense potential when still in the operating window. 

Unfortunately for the German squad, their success is still largely dependent on the characteristics of the circuit.

Toto Wolff is aware that further improvements are necessary but was pleased that the team was - in his opinion - on the verge of victory:

"We had some light at the end of the tunnel in Barcelona and then struggled on three street circuits, so I don't want to talk us up too much or be too pessimistic.

I'd rather be cautious. We still had our persistent ride issue all three days, which is a key focus for us to tackle, but we showed strong pace...

In Austria, there will be a couple of corners which haven't made our car happy in the past, but it's a constant learning process for us.

This year is going to be a pretty tough one to win, but we just need to get our house in order to be properly on top of the car's performance. 

Lewis drove a strong race, we had the win right in front of us before the safety car and were chasing the Ferraris down, but then after the safety car, we were never quite in the position to challenge for the front and lost a little momentum.

I'm glad it's a quick turnaround for Austria, another chance for more information which is more learning."

Given the inherent weaknesses of the W13, it seems wise for the team to stay grounded, even after an encouraging weekend on British soil. 

With Austria likely to present a greater challenge for Mercedes to tackle, it will be an excellent opportunity to observe the progress in addressing the team's underlying problems throughout the season. 

Mercedes are probably not "officially back", as suggested by Carlos Sainz post-race, but they are building the foundations that will allow them to challenge again. 

The crown is likely well out of Mercedes' reach in 2022, but the Silver Arrows could again become a headache for the second season of these new regulations.