Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn has decried the current plight of McLaren & Williams but acknowledges the sport shows "no mercy".
The two teams sit second and third behind Ferrari in the list for most Constructors' Championships, however, for much of 2018 they were racing each other towards the back of the grid.
Both have long winless spells dating back to 2012 and Brawn admits having two teams of their stature struggling so much isn't good for F1.
"They are great teams with a great history, but unfortunately F1 is not a great respecter of histories. It only respects what's going on track," he said.
"We as Formula 1 very much want those teams to get back into a competitive position because they're great teams and great brands but F1 has no mercy.
"If you're not doing a first-class job, it's demonstrated every Sunday or every other Sunday. They have the capacity to get back into a competitive place, but it's a tough job."
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Efforts are being undertaken at both teams to recover from their slumps and F1 owners Liberty Media hope to offer them some optimism with new financial regulations in 2021 aimed at kerbing the influence of manufacturers.
Brawn, however, sees another factor as maybe more important to those teams improving.
"Mercedes still have the same people that I found there in 2007 (when it was Honda) and that is more than 10 years of stability," he noted.
"That's so important. Williams and McLaren, they went through changes and it always takes a while for those things to settle down."
