Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff admits that the German team never fully got to grips with the 2022 regulation changes.

His admission comes ahead of next year's overhaul, in many ways the most significant in living memory.

Of course, the previous radical overhaul in 2014 Mercedes got it bang on the money, claiming numerous successive drivers' and constructors' crowns, but with the 2022 changes they got it wrong and paid the price.

"I think we never excelled at managing those regulations," Wolff tells Formula.hu. "From the beginning, and I think we started on quite a back foot. And then catching up to great competitors is very difficult."

Having caught its rivals similarly on the back foot in 2014, Mercedes thought they might do it again in 2022 with its controversial 'zero pod' approach, and despite the fact that it soon became clear that they'd got it wrong the German team persisted.

Though it eventually got its act together, having first lost out to Red Bull it is now battling Ferrari for the runner-up spot behind McLaren, and while many expect Mercedes to make the best job of interpreting next year's rules overhaul the German team is struggling with a car that only appears competitive at certain circuits and in certain conditions. Indeed, as it continues to struggle, the team recently had to revert to an older rear suspension.

Nonetheless, Wolff is adamant that it hasn't been all bad.

"I will be looking back at many highlights," he says. "You know how we literally killed it last year in Silverstone, the last victory for Lewis at the British Grand Prix. Dominant in Spa, absolutely dominant in Las Vegas.

"They were great highlights, and this year in Montreal... we had, at times, a winning car. Now for the second part of this year, we need to come back to have a winning car."

It is the inconsistency of the W16 that Wolff believes is causing Kimi Antonelli to struggle, the Italian teenager having suffered a drop in form compared to the opening phase of the season.

"Kimi is a huge talent," Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He's fast, he's intelligent. I said it right from the start, he'll make mistakes, we know that, and we wouldn't have taken him on if we weren't aware of that.

"Unfortunately, we have an inconsistent car, which makes it more difficult for him to adapt," he admitted. "But going through these difficulties is also part of the process of becoming a champion.

"It's a learning experience for all of us," he continued. "We've never had such a young driver on the team, and in general, F1 has never had an 18-year-old in a top team.

"We're all trying to work together, including his family, to create an environment that will allow Kimi to give his best on the track."