Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has promised Lewis Hamilton and George Russell a ‘fundamentally’ different car next year.
The drivers have endured another difficult season despite the odd podium finish, with their woes compounded by a horrible display at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
But Wolff insists that Interlagos is evidence for why they are actually on the right track with their technical development plan.
“This is our route, and we will have a fundamentally different car next year. [This race] proves that it is the right thing to do,” Wolff said.
“Last year, you come out of an Interlagos weekend and you’re absolutely on top, you’re demolishing your competition on Saturday and Sunday, and it was like: ‘Are we doing the right thing by continuing with the chassis that we have?’
“Now it is pretty clear. It feels horrible for the whole team, and I wish we could start the new season and concentrate on the new car.
“The glass is always half-empty, but what we know is that we’re changing the car completely.
“We are an outlier, we’re an outlier compared to the last eight years when we’ve been at the front solidly, we’ve structured people to perform at the front, whether it is winning championships or not, and I think it more than confirmed that the steps we have taken are necessary.”