Met Auto Mercedes has admitted.

That it had trouble with the driving behavior of the W08 in the beginning of 2017. That was also the reason that Ferrari took the lead in the championship after the first races.

Team boss Toto Wolff once described the W08 as a real diva and that was not without reason. The car was too heavy at the beginning of 2017 and had problems with the ultrasofts from Pirelli. The factory team eventually found a solution and in the course of the season developed a title-rich car.

Design boss John Owen said in conversation with Motorsport.comthat the problems came as a surprise to the team, given that design seemed to be in perfect detail. Mercedes therefore had to work harder than ever to solve the problems.

“We did not understand this car, that’s why we called it a diva. We seemed to be doing the right things, but then we did not get the reaction we wanted “, says Owen. “We were very surprised and we really had no idea what to do.”

Owen states that ultimately the rear tires were decisive in finding a solution. “This year our car was heavy for the rear tires, so we had to find a better balance. On fast tracks like Silverstone, Montreal, Monza, Austin and Suzuka things went very well, but on slow, hot jobs we had a hard time.

“We tried a lot and during the season we could think and analyze more. We have done more than ever to learn and understand what happened. Then it worked to tackle the problems.

“That was amazing. At the end of the season, the W08 was certainly no longer a diva. Of course we still want to solve as many annoying properties as possible before 2018, but it is certainly not the intention to cause new problems. “