Toto Wolff felt Ferrari's latest tactics conflict in Russia again showed how difficult it is to manage a Formula One team with two drivers aiming to win.
For the second week running, Charles Leclerc outlined his frustration over the team radio as the Scuderia's strategy put Sebastian Vettel in the lead.
Ferrari this time reshuffled through a pit stop to put Leclerc ahead of his teammate, but Vettel was then forced to retire and Lewis Hamilton profited from a virtual safety car to win.
Wolff and Mercedes were questioned last season as they appeared to favour Hamilton over colleague Valtteri Bottas, meaning he can appreciate the situation Ferrari find themselves in.
"It shows you that it's not trivial at all to manage two drivers who have the aspiration to win," he told Sky Sports. "As a team, we have been through these situations. It's certainly not easy."
Wolff suggested the unorthodox manner of the victory, as Hamilton's pitting under the virtual safety car gave him an advantage over Leclerc, made it extra special.
"This is what we love about racing. It happens on Sunday," he said. "You can win the race even though you haven't got the quickest package. And that's what happened today.
READ| Hamilton wins in Russia to end Ferrari's run of success
"It makes it so special. It's unbelievable, because you start to doubt and you know where you have the deficit and you cling onto these few hopes, like a safety car. And then it happens.
"We're just overwhelmed. It's such an important step towards the championship for us."
However, the Mercedes boss acknowledged there is still work to do for the Silver Arrows, agreeing with Vettel's assessment that Ferrari boasted the greater race pace this week.
"Yep - it seems to be the case. Over the whole weekend, they have been better," Wolff said. "We have a big job on our hands.
"We need to sort out our pace in qualifying and we need to sort out the way we set up the cars, the way we understand the tyres, to be quick in the races again."
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