I agree with what Fil is saying.
I think that a lot of people are being incredibly and unreasonably harsh on Mercedes.
Even in Merc did buy the winning team from 09 by the time they had bought the team the staff had been cut drastically so it's not really fair to even say they bought the same team that won in 09 - it's a cut of almost 50 percent - that's massive and really undoes what was achieved up to that point. We'll never know if Brawn had continued as it was, if they would have won or done well in 2010 or if it was just a one of thanks to the 09 rules but that's irrelevant after such huge cuts.
Merc effectively bought a new team, not the established world championship winning team as a lot would like to have us believe.
I think Merc's mistake was to pin all their hopes on a miracle from Brawn and Schumacher, thinking that with these 2 on board they could miraculously challenge the top teams with much fewer resources at their disposal.Of course the public also had high hopes of wins from the go.
In reality these things take time, especially with the team and resources having to be built up again - you don't simply stick an add in the paper and automatically have a few hundred experts, the best in their field, at your door the next morning.
I think that because of their unrealistic belief in Brawn and Schumacher, Merc took too long in getting the ball rolling. They have reacted now, and the appointment of Bell as well as the recent recruitment drive to bring them closer to the top teams is definitely a positive step but it's going to take time for this to come to fruition.
We're talking years, not weeks or months.
Still I don't think they've done badly up to this point. Fourth in the standings at this early stage of the game is hardly a failure, considering how much longer Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren have been established and considering the difference in resources.
In fact fourth at this stage is pretty damn amazing in my opinion!
We really need to give them about three to five years more to judge them fairly, which is frustrating but Rome wasn't built in a day.
I have every faith Mercedes will get there, they have succeeded in every other area of Motorsport, they have a proud tradition and I am positive they will succeed in Formula One.
I think they realize this and are prepared to give it time - they won't pull out now, it would be hugely embarrassing and damaging to them.
A lot of the frustration comes from Schumacher fans (like myself), dissapointed to see him where he is but honestly he should have known better.
It took five years at Ferrari to win the WDC.
Granted he had wins before this but then Ferrari didn't see a change of ownership and huge cuts and changes like Merc did.
Unfortunately I think he'll be gone by the time Merc is on top.
As for Rosberg, I feel he's a hugely underrated driver - I think he's right up there with the best - he just needs a better car to prove it.
Unless he gets an offer from Red Bull, when Webber goes (which I think would be an incredibly clever but unlikely move) or Ferrari or McLaren which also doesn't seem likely at this point, I think he should stick it out with Merc. Unlike Schumi he is still young and can afford to wait. His patience may just be rewarded by being the top dog at a winning team in a few years.
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h,by the way BrawnGP was basically the core of an ex works outfit and it will take 3+ years to come back to being able to win championships but it´s a cheap deal and we will grab it and build on it ...
I more and more get the impression the action by Brawn and to a degree Haug was deliberate and well thought out and some guys inside get a bit angry now as reality is back.Rosberg clearly could have gone elsewhere and Schumacher could have enjoyed his retirement ....
