The Mercedes W11 may well go down as one of the best Formula 1 cars that has ever been produced. But it is certainly not designed to run with a massive bit of Ferrari bodywork jammed into the aerodynamic structures of its slippery belly.
The chunk of Ferrari front wing endplate was a major factor in Valtteri Bottas's defeat against Lewis Hamilton in last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. But it was not the only factor that cost the Finn at Imola.
It had all been going so well for one lap and six corners. Hamilton had fallen to third off the line with "poor grip" heading out of his second-place grid spot, although he also hinted at the start process getting away from him somehow, saying cryptically afterwards: "I could have done a different job." The world champion's slow getaway let Max Verstappen follow Bottas into the Tamburello chicane, with Hamilton even briefly coming under pressure from Daniel Ricciardo after edging out Pierre Gasly.