Mercedes F1 car “not far off” disastrous 2009 McLaren

McLaren got off to a disastrous start the 2009 season as Brawn GP seized the initiative with its double diffuser, and then Red Bull became a regular winner.

It the first half of the season, Hamilton scored only a fourth, sixth and seventh place, and regularly finished outside the points.

However, the Woking team worked hard to develop its troublesome car, and Hamilton eventually bounced back to win the Hungarian and Singapore GPs, and claim four pole positions.

Hamilton…