Michael Schumacher has indicated that his inconsistency this season has not been all his fault.
Hot on the heels of reports the German marque has warned Schumacher he could be ousted at the end of 2011, the seven time world champion publicly questioned the machinery put at his disposal since he returned to F1 this year.
"The car worked great this time," said the 41-year-old after a good weekend at Suzuka.
"Unfortunately, I cannot say it has been that way at all the races," he reportedly told German television RTL.
"There have often been problems, especially on my car, in terms of the consistency, that were not always noticed from the outside.
"You only saw that I was slower.
"Both cars have not always been the same," insisted Schumacher, who just before Sunday's Japanese grand prix complained that the F-duct on his car was not working properly at Suzuka.
Mercedes' Norbert Haug responded to Bild newspaper: "I cannot disagree with Michael. As far as the car is concerned, he is right."
Schumacher's comments also followed a competitive yet frustrating race for the record winner of 91 races, who when stuck behind his teammate Nico Rosberg radioed the pits for assistance.
His engineer Andy Shovlin replied: "There are no team orders, be careful with your manoeuvres."
On Germany's other F1 broadcaster Sky, he responded to reports team boss Ross Brawn had openly criticised him in the press.
"He didn't really criticise me," Schumacher answered. "He pointed out that compared to Nico I am a little bit behind, and he is probably right."
Schumacher added: "I have also criticised myself. I am still developing, even at 41!"
