Wolff admits the gap has closed down between rivals

As the 2016 season winds down with four races remaining, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed that winning the Constructors’ Championship wasn’t as easy as last year, claiming that their rivals have gained some ground on them.

Despite enjoying a 208 point lead after the Japan Grand Prix last week, Wolff was adamant that the standings don’t tell the full story as it was one of the most challenging seasons that they have encountered in recent times.

He also added that the regulation changes set for next year could make the battle for P1 even more interesting.

“It wasn’t as dominant of a season as it was last year, and for me it’s just the fact of diminishing returns with the stable regulation,” he explained.

“It’s what we always said, leave the regulations and leave the rules alone and the performance gap is going to shrink and eventually we’re going to have some good racing.

“Then somebody else decided to invent something new for next year and then it’s back to square one I guess.”