Honestly, as much as Merc have fumbled this set of regs, I think a big part of it isn't that they're dumb or anything silly like that.

If you look at the grid with Red Bull removed, sure they wouldn't be dominant, but they'd be up there battling and clinching championships by the skin of their teeth.

I think a big part of it isn't actually on Merc themselves. It's because people are comparing them to RB.

These regs are a dream come true for RB. They have literally the only chief aero guy who worked in the last ground effect era. That's massive! And this guy also wrote his thesis on ground effect aerodynamics. Red Bull was always going to do well under these regs (I must admit just how dominant they are is still surprising to me).

Once you add stuff like the FIA banning suspension setups like those Mercedes absolutely excel in, it looks even worse.