But they are P2 because of the inconsistency of others and not because of any car advantage. Infact I struggle to remember any race where merc were the 2nd fastest team.
And where did I say that having the 3rd fastest car on average means that the car is shit. I am just saying that they have not recovered any pace over the others. The gap to red bull is same as it was at the start of the season. In the first 8 races, Aston was consistently faster than them with Ferrari being faster or slower depending on the track. Now McLaren is faster than them with Ferrari being faster or slower depending on the track
And I was talking in the context of the original comment in this thread which said that OP expected merc to outdevelop others and how that has not happened. You said that has happened(or atleast that merc recovered which considering the gaps to the other teams is more or less the same is not true) and that is why they are P2 and I disagreed with you. Hopefully we are on the same page now
Agreed, if aston/mclaren is consistent next year merc looking at p3. Worst part is their upgrades have rarely resulted in consistent improvement, and it seems they still have no real clue on how to make a leap that gets them ahead.