Lewis Hamilton finished 13th in Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
To rub salt in the wound, Hamilton was lapped by rival Max Verstappen.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 about being lapped while running 14th, Hamilton said: "It just shows how wrong we got it.
"I'm out of the championship for sure."
?️ "I'm out of the Championship for sure"
Lewis Hamilton puts himself out of the running for the Drivers' Championship this season after a difficult day in Imola. pic.twitter.com/VU9Uw7rvFm
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 24, 2022
Team Boss Toto Wolff admits that they still don't know the fix but are open to the possibility that the concept "simply doesn't work".
Wolff apologized to Hamilton during the race, taking ownership for the performance and stating that "this was a terrible race."
?️"I know this is undrivable"
?️"This was a terrible race"Toto Wolff with a very honest radio message to Lewis Hamilton following a difficult Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for Mercedes driver ? pic.twitter.com/2Qp4TYZ74R
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 24, 2022
Hamilton and Mercedes dismal start to the campaign has seen zero points from the two Imola races, falling out of the top ten.
The big 2022 rule changes brought with them a completely new car design.
Mercedes, on a record streak of eight straight constructors' titles, were expected to ace the overhaul and run at the front.
The team's design was hailed as innovative at pre-season testing.
It has yet to convert to competitive lap times, however, and they have been around a second-per-lap slower than Red Bull and Ferrari.
