Mercedes-Benz

LEWIS HAMILTON is unsure as to why Mercedes have quickened up in their last two races.The Brit, 36, was victorious in Sochi a fortnight ago.
Lewis Hamilton gave credit to Valtteri Bottas and the rest of the teamCredit: AFP
The Brit’s Mercedes has zoomed in recent weeksCredit: AFP
While team-mate Valtteri Bottas took home first place in Istanbul last weekend.
Asked why Mercedes have improved in recent weeks, Hamilton was perplexed.
He said: “We haven’t done anything to the car so I don’t really know why that is the case.
“I think the two tracks that we’ve just driven on have maybe suited us a little bit more.”
Six-time world champion Hamilton currently trails rival Max Verstappen by six points in the driver’s standings.
But Mercedes have a healthy 36 point lead in the constructor’s title race.

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Hamilton continued: “The car has been feeling good.
“It felt great this weekend and moving forwards, Valtteri did a great job.
“If he can continue to perform like that over the next races, it will be good for the team and if the car continues to behave as it has this weekend, that is good for us.”
The season continues in Austin, Texas this Sunday.
Watch Lewis Hamilton’s incredible reaction to meeting 104-year-old fan as he takes break from F1 title battle More

MERCEDES and Red Bull’s ongoing rivalry has extended further than just on the track. The two teams have been involved in a hilarious social media exchange after the weekend’s Turkish GP.
Verstappen (L) and Perez celebrate on the podium in IstanbulCredit: Getty

Red Bull’s cars raced in a special one-off livery in Istanbul that paid tribute to engine manufacturer Honda – who are leaving F1 at the end of the season.
And the Mercedes social media team took some time out of their battle for the constructors title ahead of the weekend to predict a tough race for their rivals.
Mercedes themselves used a special 125th year livery at the 2019 German GP – which saw crashes for both Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas.
Their Twitter account posted pictures from that day, with the caption: “Special livery? We tried that once.”
They then followed it up with a meme that read: “We looked good, but at what cost?”
But after Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished second and third for Red Bull, their own social media team responded in sensational style.

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They tweeted a picture of the pair on the podium, with two trophy emojis, saying: “[Two podiums] in a special livery? We tried that once,” followed by a winking face.
And that wasn’t all – with Red Bull really hammering the nail in.
They posted a follow-up tweet with video highlights from the weekend’s two-three, saying: “Curse? What curse? Rounding off a great weekend for the Bulls.”

But to their credit Mercedes came back with a hilarious response.
Replying to Red Bull’s tweet, they posted a picture from the Netflix sensation Squid Game of the ‘killer doll’ which has gone viral in recent days.
After all their own Valteri Bottas did end up winning in Istanbul to extend their lead over Red Bull at the top of the constructors standings.
However Hamilton could only manage fifth after a late pit-stop, leaving him trailing Verstappen by six points in the driver standings with five races left in the season.

Bottas celebrates on the podium after winning Turkish Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen More

PIRELLI are backing Mercedes’ decision to change Lewis Hamilton’s tyres following a spat between the Brit and his Formula 1 team. The seven-time world champ was angered by engineers ordering him to do a pit stop at the Turkish Grand Prix as he ended up finishing fifth . 
Pirelli agree with Mercedes’ decision to have Lewis Hamilton do a pit stop at the Turkish Grand PrixCredit: AP
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff insists it would have been a ‘risky move’ to not change Hamilton’s tyres mid-raceCredit: Refer to Caption
Hamilton, 36, began in eleventh spot on the grid due to an engine change penalty but made up ground to reach third place with ten laps to go. 
However, the Briton, who had hoped to keep using the same tyres he began the race with, was called to the pits with seven laps to go
And he was heard forcifully telling his team ‘we shouldn’t have come in’  when informed of the gap between him and Pierre Gasly, who ended up finishing sixth. 
Hamilton said after: “I feel like I should have stayed out. My gut feeling was to stay and I feel that’s what I should have done.
“I am frustrated with myself. I lost a few points, but that’s life.” 
Following the race, Esteban Ocon revealed his tyres were virtually kaput after using the same set for the 58-lap Grand Prix, unlike Hamilton.
After the contest, the Alpine driver told reporters: “One more lap, I think we would’ve got a puncture. It was a risky bet. We made it work.”
When quizzed on if Hamilton could, like Ocan, have completed the race without a tyre change, Pirelli’s Formula 1 head Mario Isola said: “Looking at the tyres after the race, I would say no, or at least it was really at the limit.

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“The wear of the tyres, especially at the end of the race, they were running basically on the construction. 
“It was a bit dangerous to push the boundaries. But I fully understand that in race conditions they have to maximise their result.
“Every car is different, so the level of wear is different, also depending on how hard during the race they push. 
“But more or less all the tyres had exposed cords, not only on Ocon’s car, most of the cars that stopped after lap 47/48 were completely finished.
“We know the new tarmac (in Istanbul) is more abrasive and has more grip compared to last year and the track was not dry but still abrasive. So it was really, really at the limit. 
“I was suggesting to our allocated engineers to warn the teams to change the tyres and not to go to the end because it was a risky move.”
And Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff concurred with his staff it was ‘clear’ Hamilton would not have completed the race without the tyre change. 
Wolff said: “The intermediate obviously looked really scary, but we thought that we could maybe hang out there and finish third with not stopping.
“So we balanced between pitting, taking it very conservative, fighting with Leclerc and Perez on the track for P3, or taking a little bit of a gamble and either winning or finishing third.
Hamilton’s rival Max Verstappen is currently six points ahead of him in the race for the championship title.Credit: Splash
“Then we saw Leclerc dropping off and Lewis started dropping off and it was clear that we wouldn’t make it to the end.” 
The result at the Istanbul Park Circuit saw Hamilton fall six points behind championship opponent Max Verstappen with six races remaining this season. 
If Hamilton had finished third behind Verstappen – who ended up second behind victor Valterri Bottas – there would have been a gap of just a point between the Brit and his Dutch rival. 

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Red Bull chiefs expect Lewis Hamilton to be pushed to back of grid More

LEWIS HAMILTON battled back from 11th on the grid to finish fifth on a day of damage limitation for the world champion at the Turkish Grand Prix.The Brit’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas took the chequered flag with Red Bull stars Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in second and third respectively on a wet afternoon in Istanbul.
Lewis Hamilton overcame a 10-place grid penalty to finish fifth at the Turkish GPCredit: Alamy
His Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas won the race on the soaked Istanbul trackCredit: Reuters
And Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez completed the podium in second and thirdCredit: Getty

Hamilton clocked the fastest time during Saturday’s qualifying but his fourth engine change of the season saw him given a 10-place grid penalty.
He had clawed back two places within the first three laps and continued to make his way through the field until he was fifth by lap 28.
An exhilarating tussle with Perez at the end of lap 34 had hearts in mouths.
But the Brit could not quite wrestle fourth place off the Mexican who said on his team radio: “He pushed me off.”
Hamilton later had several tense radio exchanges of his own when arguing over when his team called him in for a tire change.
Mercedes eventually called him in on lap 51 of 58 and he dropped from third to fifth.

Hamilton closed the race out in a relatively hassle-free fashion but was not pleased with his colleagues as he grumbled about graining on his tyres.
Verstappen leap-frogged Hamilton into first place in the Drivers’ Championship with the gap now six points.
Fernando Alonso started fifth but span on the first corner after contact with Pierre Gasly as the drivers battled through walls of spray on the soaked track.
But fortunately for the Spaniard, he avoided contact with any other cars and was able to get back on track – albeit 14 places back.
Sebastian Vettel had a scare on his way into the pit on lap 39 when his brakes locked up but the German avoided a smash into the barrier.
Hamilton’s fellow Brits had mixed afternoons.
Lando Norris finished seventh in his McLaren while George Russell only managed to drag his Williams to 15th place.
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Red Bull reveal new one-off livery for Turkish GP with special ‘thank you’ message to outgoing engine partner Honda More

LEWIS HAMILTON claimed his ‘magical’ 100th Formula One victory on a heartbreaking day for Lando Norris at the Russian Grand Prix.Norris led for the majority of the race after his first career pole but it all went horribly wrong when heavy rain fell in the closing laps of the race.
Lewis Hamilton has his 100th F1 winCredit: AFP
He produced a stunning late display to snatch victoryCredit: Getty
Heavy rain denied Lando Norris his maiden F1 winCredit: EPA
Mercedes pitted Hamilton against his will in second place for intermediate tyres but Norris’ gamble to stay out didn’t pay off, as he spun in the slippery conditions with two laps remaining.
Max Verstappen had a remarkable recovery drive as he fought from the back of the grid to finish second, meaning he trails Hamilton by just TWO points in the championship.
Hamilton was relieved to finally claim his landmark victory after his last win came 70 days ago at the British GP.
He said: “It’s taken a long time to get to 100 and I wasn’t sure it would come. It’s a magical moment.
“I could have only ever dreamed of still being here and having this opportunity to be able to win these races and get to drive with such phenomenal talents, this late in my career.
“Lando did such an amazing job, he had incredible pace and is doing such a great job for McLaren.

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“It was bittersweet to see my old team ahead and they’re doing fantastically. 
“The team made a great call right at the end. I didn’t want to let Lando go and I didn’t know what the weather was doing. 
“I’m incredibly grateful to all these men and women here and back at the factory. 
“Going to bed last night I was not the happiest with the job I did yesterday. I watched the replay and they were subtle mistakes but not ideal. 
“I was so determined when I woke up this morning and I was determined to just do the best job I could. 
“Max must’ve done a really great job to come up to second from last. We’ve got our work cut out. 
Hamilton congratulated Norris on a superb performanceCredit: Reuters
“It would’ve been tough to get past Lando unless we came up to some traffic or he made a mistake, which he hasn’t been doing, so then the rain came and it was very opportunistic.”
Norris was just two laps away from becoming Britain’s youngest ever F1 race winner before the heavens opened.
The McLaren star was beside himself after he helplessly spun off in slippery conditions while his rivals all pitted for intermediate tyres.
Norris, 21, said: “I don’t know where to start. I’m unhappy, devastated in a way. We made a call to stay out and we stand by that call.
“It was the wrong one at the end of the day but I made the decision just as much as the team.
“It was more that they thought I should box and I decided to stay out. It was my decision, I thought it was the way to go. But it’s just a bit of heartbreak.
Norris’ wait for a maiden triumph continuesCredit: Getty
“I felt like I did everything I could, even when it got a bit tricky at the end. I made a couple of mistakes but still kept Lewis behind and managed to pull away a little bit. 
“A bit of luck like the laps I was out before Lewis boxed was perfectly fine for the tyres I was on and I got told the rain was going to stay the same amount.
“Had it stayed the same amount we had the right decision, but it obviously got a lot wetter than we as a team expected. 
“When it’s only two laps to go, when there are 20 to go you’re maybe not as aggressive with decisions. 
“We did what we thought was right, which I’m happy with. It was wrong at the end of the day but everything until then the guys did an excellent job.
“I’m happy with everything apart from that one decision which we’ll review and try not to make again.”
Max Verstappen defied the odds to finish secondCredit: Getty
Verstappen started at the back of the grid after having a new engine fitted and Red Bull went into the race with a mindset of damage limitation.
The Dutchman had fought his way up to seventh before the downpour and Red Bull brought him into the pits at the perfect time as he leapfrogged his rivals up into second place.
Verstappen, 23, said: “With the penalty we had, to only lose one spot is definitely not too bad. 
“When I woke up this morning I definitely didn’t expect this result.
“From the back, a lot of things happened on the first lap and first stint. We managed all of that very good and the crucial call to go to the inters worked out.”

Lando Norris takes shock pole for Russian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton crashes into pit wall More