Wolff: "We were never dominant during the ground effect period"

Mercedes, which won the constructors' championship eight times in a row between 2014 and 2021 and helped Lewis Hamilton win the drivers' championship six times, was unable to maintain the superiority it achieved in the hybrid era under the new regulations.

The 2022 W13 experienced serious performance issues, the W14 struggled with instability, and the W15 failed to deliver the expected competitiveness. The 2024 W16 had to settle for a single victory, won by George Russell, after 14 races.

"We've never really excelled at managing these regulations," Wolff said, noting that Mercedes had made a false start and that it was very difficult to catch up to strong rivals like Red Bull and McLaren. He also admitted that the team's initial "zeropod" design proved to be a dead end and resulted in significant losses of time and resources during the development process.

Despite this, Wolff recalled Mercedes' performances, which were reminiscent of its earlier days. He highlighted the team's shining moments, saying, "Last year, we were at our peak during Lewis's final victory at Silverstone. We were very strong at Spa, we were completely dominant at Las Vegas. This year, we had a car that could win a race in Montreal."

The Austrian team principal added that they need to return to a race-winning car for the remainder of the season. Wolff's comments raise the question of what roadmap Mercedes will follow leading up to the new technical regulations coming into effect in 2026.