Toto Wolff feels the race for the title is closer than the standings suggest and insists Mercedes will keep pushing hard right to the end of the season.

Pre-season testing suggested that Ferrari would challenge the Silver Arrows’ dominance in 2019 but Mercedes are way out in front in the constructors’ standings while Lewis Hamilton sits at the top in the race to be champion driver.

Team-mate Valtteri Bottas is second but 62 points adrift while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is seven behind the Finn. Ferrari have outperformed their rivals at stages of the campaign but individual and team errors have hampered their progress.

The Italians could have won at least two races this year – Charles Leclerc in Bahrain and Sebastian Vettel in Canada – and that would have put a different perspective on the points table. Wolff is aware that the gods have been shining on his team this season and made it clear they will not let up for one minute in their pursuit of glory.

“The statistics could have looked a lot worse for us than it actually does and this is the reason why we’re not taking our foot off the pedal,” he said. “We need to continue to push our performance level in order to win this championship because our competition isn’t going to rest and let us run away with it.”

The teams are currently enjoying their mid-season break and will return for the Belgium Grand Prix on September 1. Hamilton is the 2.40 favourite to win in Spa, with Vettel on offer at 3.75.