Toto Wolff: Mercedes boss warns against complacency as season resumes

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has a 62-point lead over team-mate Valtteri Bottas after winning eight of the 12 Grand Prix in 2019

Mercedes are guarding against complacency as the Formula 1 season resumes in Belgium on Sunday, according to team principal Toto Wolff.

Lewis Hamilton is first in the drivers' championship, 62 points ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who is second.

Mercedes are also 150 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings with nine grands prix left.

"We are leading both championships, but it doesn't feel that way," said Wolff.

Mercedes are in a strong position, but the gap was narrowing as the season reached its four-week summer break following the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Bottas won the first eight races of 2019 but the last four have been shared between the Briton and Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

The Dutch driver has also had the fastest lap in three of those four grands prix, showing that his team have plenty of pace.

Max Verstappen (left) was runner-up to Hamilton in Hungary but the Red Bull driver has taken 16 more points than him in the last four Grand Prix

Wolff recognises that teams can make sharp improvements for the second half of the season.

Last year at the same stage, Hamilton only led by 24 points from Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari, and Mercedes had a 10-point advantage over the Italians in the constructors' standings.

The Briton won four of the five grands prix after the resumption and what looked like a close fight turned into a procession. Hamilton claimed his fifth world title with two races to spare and Mercedes eventually finished 84 points ahead of Ferrari.

"We're approaching the start to the second half of 2019 more like the start to a completely new season," Wolff said.

"Once again we need to make sure that we leave no room for error and we keep raising the bar."

First up is the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday at the Spa circuit, a venue where the German constructors had won three successive races before Vettel's triumph in 2018.

"Finding the right set-up is tricky because the track has a challenging mix of long straights, a wide range of corner speeds and also considerable elevation changes," admitted Wolff.

"The weather can also be somewhat unpredictable in the Ardennes which can make sessions very interesting. We're looking forward to the fight."