Hamilton’s “exceptional” F1 performances now his standard - Wolff

The seven-time world champion pulled off a pair of spectacular overtakes on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas as he recovered from a difficult start to claim the 97th victory of his F1 career at last weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Mercedes have been closely matched so far this season, but Hamilton’s decisive overtaking and superior race pace enabled him to convincingly beat his two main rivals in Portugal.

Asked whether a particularly special display from Hamilton had made the difference in the race, Wolff replied: “I think we had a good car, the first time we were really able to compete for pole.

“Maybe we were a tenth off. A good race car, but again, also very close to the Red Bulls and he just drove an immaculate race.

“It makes no sense to talk about these exceptional Lewis performances, because they have been quite regular.

“It’s his standard now, and I think he sets that standard to himself.”

Hamilton and Verstappen have now gone wheel-to-wheel three times in as many races but both drivers feel they can continue to race hard and keep it clean due to the trust they have in each other.

Wolff also expects that the pair will not cross the line in their battle because neither can afford to risk losing ground in the title race, with just eight points separating them after the opening three races.

“I think they are not crossing the line on the track yet, because the risk of losing points is just too big,” Wolff explained.

“But it’s going to go head-to-head, and certainly the rivalry may increase or not.

“I see Lewis completely relaxed about the situation. He enjoys every bit working with the team and getting us up to speed because we weren’t there. It’s just a fun place.”