Nico Rosberg might have to wait until 2012 for an "excellent" car, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has admitted.
Within the next few races, the 25-year-old German will clock up the unenviable statistic of having competed in 100 grands prix without a single win.
After a difficult first season with Mercedes, hopes were high at the Brackley based team that the W02 would be a race winner.
"We had to squeeze out pretty much everything to win the championship (as Brawn GP) in 2009, and we paid the price for that (in 2010)," he said in Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"We have all the elements we need to have an excellent car next season," said Brawn.
He also predicted a continued run of success for Red Bull.
"Power in F1 goes in cycles, and normally it’s five years. I am aware of this personally since my days at Ferrari," said the Briton.