Wolff considers 'danger' of Mercedes' surprise Singapore F1 result

Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff has stressed the "danger" of reading too much into its surprise victory in Singapore eight days ago as the team prepares for the final title run-in against Ferrari.

Mercedes had been the third-fastest team throughout the Singapore weekend before a dramatic wet race saw Lewis Hamilton charge through for his seventh victory of the season, with teammate Valtteri Bottas finishing third.

The result saw Hamilton move 28 points clear of Sebastian Vettel at the top of the drivers' championship, while Mercedes sits 102 ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

While Mercedes is tipped to be stronger than Ferrari through the final six races of the season, Wolff does not want to read too much into the Singapore result, believing it could lead to false deductions.

"The result in Singapore came as a surprise for us all, and the danger of a result like that is to misjudge your own level of performance," Wolff said.

"But within the team, our focus since finishing first and third has been on the painful moments of the Singapore weekend, why we struggled in the long runs on Friday and our lack of performance over one lap in qualifying, to learn as much as possible for the rest of the season.

"We have deepened our understanding of those problems and we will take that learning with us into the final races. The last race was a strong reminder that sport always has the power to surprise and defy all predictions. We have been on the receiving end of those bad moments before, and we know that they can happen as easily to us as anybody else.

"The result in Singapore doesn't change anything in terms of how we approach the final six races, beginning this weekend in Malaysia. We will need to be at the top of our game on every track if we want to maintain our lead in both championships to the end of the season."