Mercedes has struggled for performance against the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren with a W15 car that both lacks downforce and has some undesirable handling characteristics baked into it.
That meant the Mercedes has been tough to set up and exploit to its full potential, with the various track conditions and temperatures across the first six race weekends all causing different types of headaches for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as their cars dipped in and out of their optimal operating windows.
