Lewis Hamilton is being “rewarded” for his time spent experimenting with Mercedes’ set-ups across the last two seasons, according to ex-IndyCar driver and F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe.
Mercedes struggled for performance when new technical regulations came into play in 2022 and has only recently improved itself back into a consistent front-running position.
Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan has rejected the comparison of its troubled RB20 F1 car to the infamous Mercedes “diva” machines.
Max Verstappen started his title defence strongly in 2024, with the RB20 fast out of the blocks with seven wins from the first 10 races with the championships looking like an almost certainty for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, but the car is no longer the class of the field.
Mercedes F1 protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli has opened up on a phone call he had with Toto Wolff earlier this year.
Antonelli, who has been part of Mercedes’ junior programme since 2019, has been heavily tipped with a drive at the Brackley-based squad next year in place of Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
