F1 LIVE: Horner heaps praise on Sergio Perez replacement as Hamilton gives Mercedes hope

Mercedes have a “massive challenge” ahead of them, according to Red Bull rival Christian Horner, to try and rebuild and challenge after two seasons of slumping to second in the Constructors’ Championship.

It’s a position Horner knows well, having been in that spot for a long period as Mercedes dominated the F1 landscape.

Rather than provoke his rival, Horner has offered his thoughts on how Wolff could deal with sparking a renewed challenge, telling the Sky Sports F1 podcast: “I think that it’s making sure that people believe in themselves and trying to instil a confidence.

“And it’s inevitable that when you’ve been winning for a long period of time that, when suddenly you’re not winning, then that’s when fingers start getting pointed and the team gets truly challenged during that period.

“And that’s where I’m particularly proud at Red Bull. During the period that we weren’t able to be in a winning position, which was largely out of our control, we were still winning races in every single year, two or three races.

“Bar 2015, we won a minimum of two or three races every year. At the places that we could do so, where the engine disadvantage was nullified.”