Wolff: Three or four teams are competitive

Although Toto Wolff says there are no pressing concerns about Lewis Hamilton’s lack of pace in FP2 in Baku, he admits Mercedes are facing competition from several teams.

While Max Verstappen claimed the double for Red Bull in Friday’s practices, Valtteri Bottas was second quickest on Friday afternoon.

However, his team-mate Hamilton didn’t fare as well.

He was P10 in second practice, over a second off the pace.

Wolff, though, says there is nothing fundamentally wrong.

“I think you need to get into a rhythm around Baku, relax and gain confidence,” he told Sky Sports.

“We had a messy session, a lot of traffic and yellow flags.

“We didn’t put him out at the right time.”

Asked if he had any concerns, Wolff replied: “I’m always having concerns.

“This time around in Baku it seems three or four teams are competitive, you can see it in the long runs.

“Important in qualifying.”