Wolff: Finishing second not 'one dimensional' for Mercedes

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff believes that it was important for the outfit to secure second in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.

The team managed to clinch the runner up spot after beating Ferrari by three points at the final, after both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished inside the top ten and Carlos Sainz failed to finish.

It was a surprise end to the season for Mercedes given they failed to win a race and started off on the back foot with the W14, while Ferrari was the only non-Red Bull team to win a race at the Singapore Grand Prix with Sainz.

But the consistency shown by Hamilton and Russell throughout the season enabled them to outscore Ferrari, particularly midway through the year after Mercedes introduced a major update package to their car.

Wolff: I wasn't expecting joy from finishing second

When asked about whether finishing second will boost the moral of the team, Wolff said: "That's a very good question because it's not one dimensional.

"From a mindset perspective, if you would have asked me at the beginning of the season, I would have said it's not very relevant whether we finish P2 or P3.

"The sporting advantage is that you have more wind tunnel time for next year."

Teams will receive more aerodynamic testing time based on where they finished in the season, with Mercedes set for a 75% allocation at the beginning of the year compared to 70% for Red Bull and 80% for Ferrari.

Wolff also pointed to the financial benefit of finishing second in the championship, which enables the team to pay out more to their staff.

"But then there is a financial component for all our staff in terms of bonus," said Wolff.

"I need to look after everyone together with my senior management. And therefore, it is a very important component, even though maybe from the sporting side, it is not so relevant.

"Having finished second in the World Championship that evening, it felt great. I wasn't expecting to have that feeling. You could see a boost of morale and emotion that was going through the team and that was important."