Mercedes expects stronger final races

Although the team was beaten by Force India's Paul di Resta in Singapore, the low speed nature of the Marina Bay circuit did not play to the strengths of the Mercedes GP car.

That is why team principal Ross Brawn is optimistic that high-speed venues coming up on the calendar, including Japan and Korea, should allow the W02 to stretch its legs with the latest aerodynamic upgrades appearing to have delivered a step forward in form.

"I don't think we advertised it as a big upgrade, but it was an upgrade. It seemed okay," said Brawn, whose team looks set to finish fourth overall in the constructors' championship this year.

"It may not look as though our relative position has changed, but if you think back to Hungary, which was the last high downforce track, we struggled.

"So far the numbers look like we have moved forward and I think we will see the benefit in the next couple of races in particular, so it looks okay.

"We are reasonably happy with it, but it is a very difficult track to assess these things on. When we get to the next couple of tracks it should be better."

Although the updates did not include anything radical, they did feature updates and improvements to a wide-ranging number of parts.

"There were several detailed aerodynamic improvements - with bodywork and tuning," said Brawn. "It was nothing radical - just going through the loop of floor and bodywork, those sorts of things."