Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are to install a new internal combustion engine (ICE) at the last race of the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi. The Formula 1 title fight between Hamilton and Max Verstappen is set to peak in the next few weeks, and the next episode of their rivalry comes this weekend in Qatar.
Refusing to give up hope of surpassing Michael Schumacher to become the first driver ever to win an eighth title, Hamilton gave new faith to his chances to do so with a remarkable weekend in Brazil at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The Briton overcame the disqualification from qualifying, which dropped him to last place in the sprint race on Saturday, and finished fifth. For the race on Sunday he had to start from P10 as he received a starting place penalty of five places for installing a new ICE.
Nevertheless, the defending champion, who has already won five ICEs this season, managed what he called “one of the best weekends, if not the best weekend, that I have experienced in my entire career at Interlagos Red Bulls Verstappen “to beat.
The 36-year-old was on P2 after 19 laps, overtook the Dutchman later in the race and finally ended up 10 seconds ahead when he put down an outstanding drive in South America.
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And former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes that if the title is not decided by then, it could help Hamilton in his attempts to outdo Verstappen, to install a new ICE for the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.
This would give Hamilton extra horsepower that could be crucial against a similarly fast Red Bull as his rival wins nine of his six races this year.
The pair could even go into the final race tied if Hamilton wins both races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and Verstappen finishes second, with neither driver setting the fastest lap at either event.
Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column: “Next up is a circuit in Qatar that Valentino Rossi will know infinitely better than any F1 driver, and it might suit his motorcycle more than our F1 cars.
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Hamilton’s new ICE gave him vital extra engine power in Brazil after Toto Wolff claimed Mercedes saw a trend toward “engine deterioration”.
Red Bull adviser Dr. Helmut Marko: “It looked as if the others had one gear less than Hamilton. With this rocket, Mercedes succeeded in creating a masterpiece for the decisive phase.”
But in response, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said: “To be honest, I don’t think it’s a problem with the drive unit. One car can adapt better than the other from one route to another.”
“Red Bull had an advantage in Mexico. In Sao Paulo it was the Mercedes [Valtteri] Bottas’ performance that didn’t change the engine.
“The difference between the two was small. More important is how the cars adapt to the next Grands Prix, two of which are unknown to everyone.”
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