JAPANESE FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX at Suzuka

[mascol]

It looked in practice that Mercedes had made some gains,
But that was all knocked on the head in qualifying,
Everything back to normal,
How Mercedes can waste so much money on uncompetitive cars for 3 years running now is unbelievable.

Mercs domination when the turbo hybrid era started is possibly the biggest reason why they are where they are now. They have lost a good number of their top staff since then, some headhunted by other top teams, some maybe wanted more of a challenge and went to lower teams.
Yes you are right since the regulation change about the aero floors their car has been very average.
Back when Merc was dominant they still had their achilles heel of slower tight and twisty circuits but Red Bull seem to have a car that is flawless, which makes for a dull season. Pity