Toto Wolff says Mercedes has worked hard to understand its initial struggle to find performance in Singapore as the unlikely victory which followed proves the remaining six races could "defy all expectations".
Singapore has been an anomaly for Mercedes through its dominance in the V6 turbo era and it appeared to be set for a weekend of damage limitations after settling for the third row of the grid behind both Ferraris and Red Bulls. But the race swung dramatically in Mercedes' favour, with Sebastian Vettel's early clash with Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen helping Lewis Hamilton win and open a 28-point lead in the championship.
After Singapore, where Valtteri Bottas also finished third, Wolff warned his team not to ease up in its quest for a fourth straight sweep of both championships. Heading to Malaysia, the scene of Lewis Hamilton's dramatic engine failure while leading late in last year's grand prix, Wolff knows Mercedes must always be prepared for the worst.
"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 came at the one circuit in the championship run-in Mercedes was expected to significantly struggle at. Of the remaining races the next three, Malaysia, Japan and the U.S., are all on circuits with high-speed corners -- where Mercedes has been the team to beat this year -- while also rewarding aerodynamic efficiency.
As favourites for the weekend Wolff is determined not to slip up lose the momentum his team has enjoyed since the end of the summer break.
"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.
"The weather conditions are challenging for the cars, the tyres, the drivers and the team personnel and can often complicate the overall picture; good reliability will be crucial in every aspect of our operations. But it goes without saying that our target is to deliver a winning performance to mark the final grand prix at Sepang -- and to build on the good momentum we have enjoyed since the summer break."