The German manufacturer has been working hard on a major car revamp that it hopes will allow Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to take the fight to Red Bull this season. And while it knows that its chances of success depend entirely on how much of a step forward the opposition has made, technical director James Allison has revealed some positive early signs about the W15.Asked by Motorsport.com about the level of confidence within the team based on some promise from the simulator, Allison said: “It's impossible at this time of year to be anything other than apprehensive, coupled with excited, coupled with frightened.“Those are always the emotions that you feel, and I would imagine that even in Red Bull, after a year of such good performance, they will not be sleeping easy in their beds either because no one knows what everyone else will deliver. “However, what we do have some hope for is that some of the more spiteful characteristics of the rear end of our car will be a bit more friendly to us, and the handling of the car a happier thing. “That's all in simulation, but nevertheless we’ve got reasonable grounds to believe that we've made some gain there.” Beyond the handling issues that made the W14 such a tricky car, Allison said other targets – which included more downforce and power – had also been areas of focus.