Mercedes executive director (business) Toto Wolff says he is "cautiously satisfied" with the progress made by the team so far in 2014.
He also played down suggestions that the Brackley-based outfit is the favourite for this year's world championship after completing the most mileage during the opening four-day test at Jerez.
The team's new W05 lapped the Spanish circuit 309 times during the first test of the 2014 season, 288 more than four-time constructors' champions Red Bull Racing.
When asked how successful the test was for Mercedes, he replied: "It looked like it could be difficult after the first day, but from that point onwards the car ran very reliably.
"In terms of mileage I would say we are ahead of schedule, while in terms of the bits and pieces we have struggled with and the challenges ahead of the first race, I think we are about where we expected to be.
"We can't really judge performance yet, of course, but that is normal after the first test and hopefully this will become clearer after the first week in Bahrain."
The German said he is "cautiously satisfied" with the progress so far, adding: "The power unit and all the associated systems are very new, so making sure they function properly and are reliable has been the focus.
"We are some way from what we expect to be our full potential, and there are a few things not quite functioning as we would like, however we are proud of the integrated concept produced by the teams at Brackley and Brixworth."
Due to the reliability shown at the first test in Jerez, some have already tipped Mercedes for title success this season. "If you look back through past seasons, the favourites after the first few days of testing are not always in the same position at the first race," he said in response to the claims.
"I think we have to have a certain degree of caution, especially at this early stage. A few different teams have looked strong so far in different ways, but we won't know the full story for a while yet; not even after the first couple of races I wouldn't say."
The second winter test will take place from the 19th-22nd February in Bahrain. "Cooling will be a key consideration," Wolff said when asked what the main challenges will be. "This will be one of the biggest challenges of the season, and from that perspective the test in Bahrain will be very interesting for everyone."
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remain at the team for the 2014 season.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The team's new W05 lapped the Spanish circuit 309 times during the first test of the 2014 season, 288 more than four-time constructors' champions Red Bull Racing.
When asked how successful the test was for Mercedes, he replied: "It looked like it could be difficult after the first day, but from that point onwards the car ran very reliably.
"In terms of mileage I would say we are ahead of schedule, while in terms of the bits and pieces we have struggled with and the challenges ahead of the first race, I think we are about where we expected to be.
"We can't really judge performance yet, of course, but that is normal after the first test and hopefully this will become clearer after the first week in Bahrain."
The German said he is "cautiously satisfied" with the progress so far, adding: "The power unit and all the associated systems are very new, so making sure they function properly and are reliable has been the focus.
"We are some way from what we expect to be our full potential, and there are a few things not quite functioning as we would like, however we are proud of the integrated concept produced by the teams at Brackley and Brixworth."
Due to the reliability shown at the first test in Jerez, some have already tipped Mercedes for title success this season. "If you look back through past seasons, the favourites after the first few days of testing are not always in the same position at the first race," he said in response to the claims.
"I think we have to have a certain degree of caution, especially at this early stage. A few different teams have looked strong so far in different ways, but we won't know the full story for a while yet; not even after the first couple of races I wouldn't say."
The second winter test will take place from the 19th-22nd February in Bahrain. "Cooling will be a key consideration," Wolff said when asked what the main challenges will be. "This will be one of the biggest challenges of the season, and from that perspective the test in Bahrain will be very interesting for everyone."
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remain at the team for the 2014 season.
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