Mercedes is getting specific amid its claims that Ferrari has definitely closed the gap over the winter.
The team have been playing up Ferrari's chances of mounting a challenge this year, and now chairman Niki Lauda is even willing to put a figure on it.
"It isn't Mercedes's fault if we've been faster the last two seasons," the F1 legend told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Our goal is to continue that but I think the gap has been reduced. Last season we had a 0.6 second advantage over Ferrari but they are closer this season. Our gap may come down to 0.2 so anything can happen."
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, agrees.
"Ferrari has definitely made a leap," he told Austrian broadcaster ORF.
"Already from 2014 to 2015 they developed really well, and now they have continued that.
"If we have a headstart, it is not like it was last year - we are talking about two, three tenths. Maybe just one."
Ferrari finished with 428 points in 2015, compared with the champions' 703.
