Mercedes is coming off the back of a disastrous second triple-header of the 2025 Formula 1 season in which it relinquished second place in the constructors' championship to Ferrari and was even outscored by Racing Bulls.
Having started the campaign as potentially McLaren's most consistent threat in the teams' battle, it scored just twice over the Imola/Monaco/Spain weekends thanks to a fourth and seventh place for George Russell.
The double-whammy of a lack of performance and poor reliability has left the team "stung", according to technical director James Allison, as it looks to get things back on track.
In fact, the series of events are so bad that they have left Allison hoping that there could not possibly be a repeat in the future.
In Mercedes' regular post-race debrief about the run of form, referencing the 1978 novel The World According to Garp, Allison said: "The main character in that book, Garp, he bought his first house on the basis that a light aircraft had crashed into it.
"He considered the house pre-disastered, and therefore nothing bad would happen to it in the future.
"So you could look at these triple-headers, we’ve definitely been pre-disastered with out-of-the-blue DNFs on very mature components that we would never have expected a failure like that. So with a bit of luck, we’ll have better fortune in the future."
But what's really gone wrong for Mercedes, and what does it mean for the rest of the season? Here's what we have learned.
Wrong set-up choices had big consequences
Mercedes had had a strong start to the year until Bahrain in April, where its W16 appeared to be not too far behind McLaren and offering much improved tyre degradation compared to last year.
However, hot races in Saudi Arabia and Miami highlighted some potential weaknesses Mercedes still had in keeping its rear tyre temperatures under control.
And it was trying to find improvements in this area that triggered the change of rear suspension design for Imola as adjustments were made to its pick-up points.
A lack of performance though prompted Mercedes to go back to its older specification suspension for Monaco, and stay like that for Spain as it worked on improvements to its latest upgrade.
Allison reckoned the triple-header was ruined by Mercedes going in the wrong direction with its set-up for Imola and Monaco - something it managed to roll back a bit from in Spain.
"I think the more important thing of these three races were we got the first couple pretty wrong on the way that we set the car up," he said.
"[We] asked too much of the rear axle, suffered badly as a consequence, and we approached Barcelona with something of a different mindset.
"And in a track which would have murdered our tyres if we'd gone at it like we did in Imola and Monaco, we actually were a bit more ourselves.
"So looking forward and knowing that we can do more of that and lean deeper into that in the races ahead, I think that's a good thing."
Pressure on the engine pool
Beyond the lack of performance, especially at Imola and in Monaco, of greater concern to Mercedes has been a lack of reliability.
Antonelli was put out of the Imola and Barcelona races with mechanical failures, with George Russell also suffering a glitch in qualifying at Monaco that proved hugely costly.
And while the issues at Imola (throttle sensor) and in Monaco (engine wiring loom) were recoverable, Antonelli's failure in Spain appears to be terminal.
That means a fresh engine is likely needed for Canada and increases the likelihood of grid penalties later in the year.
Mercedes does not yet know the cause of Antonelli's failure, with the power unit having been taken back to the manufacturer's Brixworth factory for assessment.
But having lost an engine, Allison said that there were likely implications for later in the campaign.
"It puts some pressure on the pool," he said. "We could put in a new power unit next race weekend, suffer no penalties, because we're still below the maximum number you're allowed to use in a year without penalty.
"But, of course, we're only a third of the way through the year...well a bit more. And so, that's going to put quite a strain on the remainder of the pool if we have to eke it out till the end of the year.
"We'll be just eyeballing up how to marshal those remaining resources in a good way. But, yes, it's obviously no fun when a power unit comes out of the pool before delivering its full life."
'Chunks' taken out of Antonelli
Two retirements from three races and a disappointing Monaco weekend that was derailed by a qualifying crash has been quite hard for Antonelli to take.
And while the 18-year-old rookie is still keeping a brave face on, Allison admitted that point-less spell it has not been an easy for Antonelli.
"Kimi's young and full of all the optimism of youth, but I absolutely know that our failures in this period have taken a few chunks out of Kimi along the way," he said.
"Two DNFs, one caused by a chassis problem, one caused by a PU problem in just three races. That's a pretty tough pill to swallow."
Antonelli openly admitted that recent weeks had not been the best for him, but he said he sees a good chance now to have a break and get back on track.
Speaking after the Spanish GP, he said: "Now obviously I have time to reset the mind. I'll try to gather all the learning, all the information, in order to be back stronger for Canada."
And he reckoned the potential return of Mercedes' updated rear suspension in Montreal could deliver the gains that were not unleashed when it first appeared in Imola.
Asked about how the Mercedes felt in Spain with its latest aerodynamic package, he said: "The car felt pretty good. Connected.
"So I think we did feel something, and now we'll see also with the rear suspension, because we've done some good learnings, and hopefully now we can get a benefit from it."
