Whatever way you cut it, the fact is that after two races, Mercedes has two 1-2s to its credit and has almost double the points of its main rival, Ferrari.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that the Maranello outfit was clearly 'all at sea' in Melbourne and lost out in Bahrain due to a combination of reliability and red mist, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has adopted the customary position of underdog.

"Two races into the 2019 season, it may seem like we're in a strong position," he says, a masterpiece of understatement. "We have 87 points, just one below the maximum score.

"But the constructors' standings do not tell the full story," he insists. "The truth is that we weren't as quick as our direct competitors throughout qualifying and the race in Bahrain.

"The Ferrari was considerably faster on the straights and this added up to several tenths around one lap. Nevertheless, the saying goes that "in order to finish first, first you have to finish" and the combination of solid performances from the team, reliability of our systems and a strong drive from our drivers secured us the one-two.

"The challenge we are facing doesn't daunt us, it's uplifting," he adds. "We will keep pushing to extract the maximum performance from our package to deliver the best race we can. We will try and exert pressure, maximise our opportunities and keep working hard to develop our overall package. We've seen exciting races so far this season and we're looking forward to the next fight in Shanghai."