Technical boss Paddy Lowe admits there is tension at Mercedes ahead of this weekend's title showdown in Abu Dhabi, but remains confident the team can deliver perfect reliability to both cars.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will go head to head for the title in Abu Dhabi, with Rosberg able to secure his first world championship with a podium finish on Sunday. Rosberg's 12-point advantage ahead of the final round can partly be traced to reliability issues on Hamilton's car earlier in the year, but Lowe is confident there will not be a repeat at the weekend.
"This is the first time we've had a 21st race in any Formula One season and it's fitting that such a record-breaking year should conclude with the drivers' championship being fought right to the very end," he said. "It's great for fans of the sport. Of course, it also means significant tension within our particular camp -- but the team has shown itself highly adept at managing this type of situation over the past few years.
"We will approach this weekend as we would any other, with the primary objective of ensuring that the title is decided on track in a fair fight. While there have been occasional issues over the course of the year, 2016 has actually seen the strongest reliability record in the history of this team -- both technically and operationally -- giving us good faith in the underlying progress that we've made. The drivers too are in great shape, so we're looking forward to a close and hard-fought competition."
Pirelli's decision to bring softer tyre compounds to the majority of races this season has seen a number of qualifying lap records broken over the course of the year. Lowe expects the same this weekend with Pirelli's fastest compound -- the purple-striped ultra-soft -- on offer for the first time.
"Pirelli have included the ultra-soft compound tyre for this weekend, so we could well see Qualifying times faster than ever before at this circuit. All in all, we're hoping for a spectacular finale under the magical setting of those Marina lights, giving everyone something to remember as we cap off an incredible year."