Bottas and Hamilton started first and second respectively at last Sunday’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, only for Verstappen to come out on top.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is well aware of the threat Red Bull pose at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend.
“It’s expected to be as hot here as it was at Silverstone last weekend, and we saw what happened there – the Red Bull was clearly the fastest in race trim,” said Wolff.
“Looking at the long runs on Friday, they’re expected to be the benchmark tomorrow, so we need to have a clever race, manage it from the front, knowing the quickest car on track will likely be behind us with Verstappen.
“We’ll be pushing hard to get the most points we can and take the win, but if that’s not possible then it will be focusing on the best damage limitation in these tricky conditions.”
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