Mercedes downplay Belgian GP chances despite 'encouraging' path

Toto Wolff has conceded that Mercedes do not have a car capable of fighting for victory on a regular basis ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. 

Mercedes enter the final round before the summer break on a positive run of five consecutive podiums, with its most recent rostrum in Hungary achieved despite not having the strongest package. 

The Silver Arrows has made significant steps with its W15 and has flirted with the current top teams – Red Bull and McLaren – but has rarely matched them for pace. 

Silverstone was the exception, as Lewis Hamilton claimed a 104th career victory entirely on merit, whilst George Russell's win in Austria came courtesy of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen colliding. 

Despite this, the Mercedes boss is pleased with the team's trajectory as it enters an important weekend in Spa-Francorchamps. 

"We head into the final race before the summer break on a run of five consecutive podium finishes," said Wolff. 

"We are therefore looking to continue that momentum and finish the first half of the season strongly. The pack at the front is close and we will have to be at our best to do so though. 

"Whilst we are lacking a little bit of pace compared to some of our competitors, we continue to bring performance to the car. We are on a positive trajectory and that is encouraging. 

"It is not yet enough to fight for victories consistently each and every weekend, but has enabled us to be in contention for the top-three more regularly."

Belgian GP challenges

The Hungarian GP was not a smooth weekend for Mercedes, with its performance having been impacted by the high temperatures. 

Not only is Spa-Francorchamps a completely constrasting style of circuit to the Hungaroring, the weather is also expected to be drastically different. 

Cool temperatures are forecast throughout the event, as is heavy rain across Friday and Saturday in particular. 

Wolff is intrigued by how the W15 will perform, on the back of what was a difficult weekend in Hungary.

"Last weekend in Hungary was not straightforward," added Wolff. "We qualified out of position and left ourselves with plenty of work to do. 

"We were able to race hard on Sunday though and score solid points, including Lewis claiming his 200th podium in F1 which is a superb achievement. 

"It was positive to see the steps we have made in those hotter conditions, although there is more work to do. 

"Spa is a very different challenge to Budapest. With cooler temperatures and a much more high-speed layout, it will be interesting to see how the W15 performs compared to our rivals."