Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the pain of suffering difficult weekends in the 2017 Formula One season helped propel his team to its fourth consecutive constructors' championship.
Lewis Hamilton's U.S. Grand Prix victory, coupled with Valtteri Bottas' fifth-place finish ensured Mercedes sealed its fourth constructors' title in a row in Austin, having established an unassailable 150-point buffer over rivals Ferrari with just 129 points available from the remaining three races.
The German manufacturer has faced significant competition for both world championships in 2017, which has marked the first season in which more than two different teams have scored grand prix victories since the V6 hybrid era began in 2014.
Mercedes endured a string of difficult weekends throughout the campaign and struggled to match chief rivals Ferrari on pace in Monaco and Hungary, but Ferrari's title collapse during a disastrous run of Asian races in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan enabled the Silver Arrows the chance to wrap up the title early.
"We have a motto in the team that difficult days are the days that our competitors regret," Wolff said. "Because the painful experiences make you so much stronger. If you keep calm and analyse what the issues are and eliminate them it is adding to your knowledge and your strength. We have seen this particularly this year. The painful experiences made us win this title.
"When we set our objectives, it was to win both championships and to be the first team to do it through a regulation change like this. To achieve it here in Austin with three races to go feels unbelievable. The fact is that we have a really great dynamic in the team, we enjoy doing what we do and bringing it home feels just super."
Mercedes has recorded 11 race victories and a further 11 podium appearances en route to matching McLaren (1988-1991), Ferrari (2000-2004), and Red Bull (2010-2013) in winning four straight titles, while it has also become the first team in F1 history to win championships across a major regulation change.
"This regulation change was designed to make it incredibly difficult to win again," technical director James Allison explained. "So to do something that no team in the sport's history has ever managed -- to stay in the mix, and to come out on top, after a major rules change -- is just the most enormous credit to everybody involved in the team from top to bottom.
"It is simply not possible to win a championship without their skill, dedication and, in many cases, sacrifice. It is a truly brilliant feeling to be part of a team capable of doing this."
Hamilton could clinch Mercedes' fourth successive drivers' title as early as next weekend's Mexican Grand Prix.