Whenever the rules change in Formula 1, the competitive order also faces disruption. Inevitably, one or two teams land nearer the right balance of compromises, or find clever solutions others have missed.

Given the scope of the changes coming next season, nerves are jangling up and down the grid: the combination of new engines and chassis has added to the level of difficulty.

In the previous decade, Mercedes' domination of F1 was so complete that the commercial rights holder regularly complained it was bad for box office. But when F1 shifted to a car package where underbody aerodynamics were responsible for generating the majority of the downforce, its first car for the new formula, though bold, was fundamentally flawed – and Mercedes never quite caught up with its rivals.

That's wh

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