Wolff: Mercedes needs to deliver an F1 car both drivers can push to its limits

In Monaco, Bottas had a significant advantage over Hamilton and would have finished on the podium had it not been for a botched pit stop, while the seven-time champion finished down in seventh.

It was a role reversal in Baku where Hamilton challenged for the podium for much of the race before his costly error after the red flag, and Bottas languished outside of the points-paying positions.

The Circuit Paul Ricard is expected to suit Mercedes given its strong record in France in recent years, winning in 2018 and 2019 with Hamilton.

“We come off the back of two street circuits unsuited to our car, two circuits we knew would be difficult for us, and we were disappointed to lose a podium finish and a victory through our own mistakes,” Wolff said ahead of this weekend’s French Grand Prix. “That frustration reflects the high standards we hold ourselves to, and it is what drives us forward.

“In Monaco and Baku, we put the W12 in a window where only one of our drivers found the confidence to unlock the performance of the car - Valtteri in Monaco and Lewis in Baku. In such a close, intense title fight, we need to deliver a car at each race which both our drivers can confidently push to its limits.”

While Mercedes has dominated the previous two races at Paul Ricard, Wolff expects the battle with Red Bull to remain tight.

“The French Grand Prix means returning to a more traditional circuit and hopefully, better fortunes for us,” Wolff added. “It is a track we've gone well at in the past and, with a wide range of corner speeds that will test the car in every aspect, it's an interesting challenge for us to tackle.

“We're six races into the season and there's still a long way to go. It's looking very close at the front and we're not expecting that to change anytime soon. We'll be looking to turn our learnings from recent weeks into performance and to deliver a much stronger weekend with both cars.”