Lewis Hamilton admits Max Verstappen and Red Bull unstoppable with ‘insane speed and crazy downforce’
Hamilton got ahead of the slow-starting Verstappe༒n on the opening lap but was ultimately po🔯werless to prevent his former title rival from easing back into the lead on the run to Turn 9 once the Red Bull driver had DRS enabled.
From there Verstappen pulled a comfortable buffer and had Hamilton covered on his way to winning a chaotic, triple-red-flagged race that ultimate🧜ly ended under Safety Car conditions.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton admitted💧 afterwar💟ds that Mercedes have “work to do” if they are going to be able to compete with Red Bull for victories this season.
“We’ve got work to do to catch the Red Bull - it came f💝lying past and disappeared,” Hamilton told Sky.
“Max is in another league, his car is so fast. He passed me halfway down the straight and he was liꦇke 10 me🦄tres ahead. I don’t know how they are so quick on the straight - it’s insane.
“Th💫ey are just in another league. Until we pick up speed on the straight like t🅺hey have, and have the crazy downforce they have through the corners, that’s how it’s going to continue.”
Hamilton added: “Iꦆf we stick together we can fight Ferrari and [Aston Martin]. The battle is really with Fe🐈rnando [Alonso], right now.
“I enjoyed racing him, it was very👍 reminiscent of my first race here in 2007.”&n𝓰bsp;
Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok noted that Hamilton had “no chance” against Verstappen once the Dutchman got in ra💎nge to capitalise on Red Bull’s powerful DRS.
“Hamilton had no defenc🐟e, no chance,” he said. “The Red Bull is just a good car. It’s good at wheel-to-wheel battle.
“Lewis is pretty happy. He was sitting comfortably, never really looked like he was under thꦑeat. For Mercedes at the moment, that’s their race.”
Nevertheless, Hamilton described tak🐽ing second place in Melbourne as an “amazing” result for his team, who he praised for their ha💟rd work.
“I feel so, so happy and graꦫteful to them [Mercedes] for continuing🐠 to push,” he said. “We arrived with a car that’s been difficult.
“For us to be finishing on the podium, and getting these 💯points, is really remarkable. Especially at this early phase where we ✤haven’t changed the car.
“It’s just happ🅠ened to work pretty well this weekend.
“Hopefully this gives us a boost in hope and 🤪energy. It’s so early in the season but we’re there or thereabouts.
“This is a me🐻ssage to everyone to dig deep, keep pushing because it’s not that far away and it’s relatively close to reach.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for wuqian0821.com around the world. Often reporting💮 on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of t♕he people who matter in the sport.
