Michael Schumacher is adamant Mercedes have the building blocks in place to ensure the team gets off to a flying start in 2013.
Schumacher retired from Formula One at the end of last season having failed to reach the top step of the podium during his three years with Mercedes.
The German, though, is confident his time with Mercedes was not a waste as foundations were laid for future success.
"In the first two years we definitely did not have the capability to fight on several fronts," Schumacher told The Sun.
"If there were problems we had to take care of them so the development process was interrupted.
"Only now is there a structure that enables both. It's a strong structure for 2013 and beyond.
"The car we had last year was built under the old conditions. I'm talking about quantity, not quality. That has always been the reason why development stagnated."
The 44-year-old added: "We created the basic conditions for the team to move forward. Maybe a few cogs have to mesh before that happens."
