Behind the scenes of Mercedes' title success

Toto Wolff ushers us into the relative calm of his office. Outside is a cacophony of noise as Mercedes guests tuck into their noonday lunch. The title-winning team boss sits proudly at his desk, in a place of serenity. He glances at a series of pictures from the past season of racing.

Mercedes' photographer, Paul Ripke, has been granted exclusive access to the team, its drivers and management and F1 Racing has a selection to jog Wolff's memory.

The first is of team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, and he reflects on how different the chemistry is between his drivers compared with the 'nuclear war' that existed 12 months ago between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"In terms of the relationship between the drivers in the team, I have been on an interesting journey," Wolff says, sipping his lemon tea. "My belief was that an intra-team rivalry would be something that we'd be able to contain and not cause controversy. If there was to be a little animosity, I thought that would be good for both Mercedes and the drivers, because they would push each other on.

"The truth is that we weren't able to control it with Nico and Lewis, because there was too much baggage from the past. This new relationship with Valtteri has benefited the team greatly, the dynamics are very positive, and it has helped both drivers."

There were occasions last season where Hamilton felt he wasn't getting the support from the team he needed. One was in the aftermath of the first-lap collision between him and Rosberg in Spain, while the other was in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, when he backed up his team-mate into the oncoming Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

During the off-season, Wolff invited Hamilton to his Oxford home and the pair opened up to one another about their frustrations. By clearing the air, Hamilton has been stronger this season and his mental composure has helped his performances behind the wheel.

"In any relationship, you always have ups and downs, but the most important thing is to communicate," confides Wolff. "We left our kitchen talk with a good feeling about each other, and now our personal relationship has moved on to another level. It's a relationship of trust and this doesn't mean there can't be difficult situations, but it's built on a lot of respect."

Wolff believes that part of the success this season, Mercedes' fourth consecutive title (and Hamilton's career fourth) has been down to their improved relationship and a more harmonious team. That positivity has manifested itself at various times throughout the year.

"When both Lewis and Valtteri played computer games together in the rain delay on the Saturday at Monza, it was a genuine moment; it wasn't faked. I joked afterwards and said, 'this is going a bit far for me - we need to have more of a healthy rivalry!'"

As he scans through the pictures we've selected from Ripke's treasure trove covering the 2017 season, we invite Wolff to explain the stories behind the images.

FACE MASKS AT SUZUKA

"At Suzuka a couple of the engineers had a bad cold and were coughing in the morning debrief. I said to them that if they were going to be around the drivers, they needed to wear masks because I didn't want the drivers to be ill on Sunday.

"An hour later, during our next debrief, they took the piss - when I came in I saw that everybody, including the drivers, was wearing face masks..."

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH 'THE DIVA'

"We've had fantastic performances, such as at Monza, but we've had problematic races.

"The W08 will be remembered as a very quick car, but a difficult one to handle and that's why I used the word 'diva' this year to describe the chassis. It encapsulates it well, because a diva is a beautiful lady, but one that is capricious too.

"This shot from Singapore encapsulates that because we were discussing how to sort the car out. It's a pretty intense moment and these are always difficult for the team, but also very important - it makes us grow and develop.

"When we had our strategy meeting on the Sunday morning in Singapore, it was funny because the one scenario we never talked about was the one that happened [when both Ferraris collided after the start]."

EYE OF THE STORM

"The management at Mercedes have a big responsibility of maintaining a good energy within the team and it's down to a genuine interest in managing the characters we have. The bond and the energy is very important and we haven't lost any people from our camp. There has been no exodus like at other teams. The odd person has decided to pursue a different career, but the bond among us is strong.

"The whole time I'm looking to try and develop the team. After every qualifying session I always need some time to myself to reflect. I like the solitude. I make notes on what I've observed, be that operationally in the garage, or some strategy, or how we've deployed something. It's an exercise in improvement."

BOOM-TIME 'RAT'

"One of my allies is Niki Lauda. We spend hundreds of hours of a year flying and travelling together to the races, and sometimes Lewis joins us on the long-distance trips. Niki's role is very important because he's a mentor to the drivers.

"He's respected by them because he has three world titles and he's a good sounding board. He fits into our structure very well and we get on in a very positive way.

"It was quite a bold exercise to put us both into a structure, because we've been able to manage our own companies without anyone else, but it has worked out really well."

THE HARDER HE WORKS...

"I think it's important to remember what Valtteri has said about Lewis's work ethic, because what you tend to see from Lewis is either what is on social media or in the tabloids: partying between the Caribbean and Los Angeles in a private jet.

"But there is also a hard-working, very diligent side to Lewis and Valtteri has realised that."

...THE LUCKIER HE GETS

"Look at Silverstone. He generated a lot of controversy [by not attending the F1 Live London event] but five days later it was all forgotten when his fans were cheering for him.

"Winning at Silverstone in front of his home crowd was so important for Lewis. I've been working with him for five seasons now and in 2017 there has definitely been a step change in his work ethic."