Since the 2022 regulations, Mercedes have struggled to regain the strong, consistent pace that once saw them dominate the drivers' and constructors' championships.
But for all that struggle, driver George Russell has argued that Mercedes' current car, the W15, is actually the most inconsistent machine in the team's history.
Speaking to media ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, George Russell termed Mercedes' W15 as the team's "most inconsistent" car, possibly in the team's long history of Grand Prix racing.
"In 2022, in the porpoising era, without a doubt that was far more unpleasant, but because of the nature of those cars," Russell admitted.
"It was far harder to get close to the limit because you were jumping around every single corner, and you knew that it was going to bite you.
"The problem we've got with this car at the moment is you think it's not going to bite you, and you can achieve a really great lap, and then suddenly, nothing changes — or you feel nothing change the following lap — and you lose all that performance.
"So without a doubt, this is probably the most inconsistent our performance has been as a team in probably forever."
Those are strong words from Russell, who also referred to the W15 as the "fourth fastest" car on the 2024 Grand Prix circuit — but he also has a point.
Though Hamilton and Russell are currently fifth and sixth in the WDC, they've both struggled to lift themselves onto the podium, spending most of th season mired in the lower end of the top 10.
Mercedes admittedly only spent two years as a Formula 1 constructor in the early 1950s, but in both seasons, its driver Juan Manuel Fangio secured the WDC.
The team was revitalized in 2010 with drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg behind the wheel — and during those first three years, the team struggled to find pace in a similar way to its struggles in 2024. However, during that time, only Rosberg was able to secure a single victory, showing that the team was trending more toward the midpack.
In 2024, the Mercedes outfit has been able to take three wins between its two drivers, but those victories have seemed almost miraculous when compared to the rest of a difficult season.
Coming into Brazil, Russell admitted that the team needs "to be realistic." Referring to the W15's fourth-fastest ranking, he said, "Anything more will be an achievement. I think we're, to be honest, more focused on getting the car into a consistent place, looking ahead into '25."
The next F1 race is the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which takes place over 71 laps of the 4.309-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Brazil on Sunday, November 3.
