Toto Wolff leapt to defend Lewis Hamilton from critics and insisted Mercedes have been suffering only from a "sub par" car.
The Silver Arrows were a long way off the pace at the start of the year as it became clear they had gone in the wrong direction with the development of their W13. Ever since, the team has been playing catch-up with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.
It has left them more than 100 points adrift in the constructors' standings as their domination since 2014 looks set to come to an end. However, seven-time world champion Hamilton has also been criticised by some fans amid their struggles.
He is yet to win a race this year while spending much of it getting to grips with the car. Team-mate George Russell is also winless but has achieved more consistent results, finishing in the top five of every race except the British Grand Prix, where he was taken out in a crash.
In the face of that criticism directed at Hamilton, Wolff was keen to rubbish any suggestion that the 37-year-old's form has anything to do with his racing ability. "I need to protect him, because people have started to hit out at him, which is not right," he told Square Mile.
"It's complete nonsense – he's the greatest driver of all time. The car is just sub par. George has sometimes struggled a bit less because he's maybe used to driving difficult cars at the back of the grid.
"But Lewis was unlucky on many occasions. He could have scored another two podiums and then the pendulum would have swung. So, [public apologies to Hamilton over team radio] are to make sure that everybody comprehends that the car is not performing, and not that the driver is at fault."
While he is yet to taste victory this season, Mercedes' recent progress in terms of car performance has given Hamilton belief that he will win a race before the end of the year. "It doesn't faze me because I'm getting towards that win," he confidently told reporters in France.
"I do believe we'll be able to compete with these guys, whether it be now or five races. I think about the journey, we've got consistency and we've continued to push – no-one in our team has given up. It's been a really valuable lesson learned for all of us and experience."
