The Mercedes W15 that began this season did not look so outwardly different to the car which won three of the last four races before the summer break. Yet the gap in performance between those two versions of the car could hardly be more stark.
Mercedes, three years in, finally seem to have unlocked the secrets of the ground effect regulations. Having been caught out by the chasm between simulation and track reality in the volatility of a ground effect car, Mercedes began this formula with a deeply flawed concept. Since then it has been running to catch up – but it has been a moving target.
