Media and paddock chatter about Mercedes’ supposedly illegal 2021 car “must stop”, according to former prominent F1 engineer Kees van de Grint. “But I personally don’t think there’s really been a big change in how fast the Mercedes and Red Bull cars are this year,” he told NOS. “Max could often win because he pulled them out single-handedly, not because the Mercedes was necessarily not as good.”. However, he does think Mercedes has taken a clear step more recently. “I think in qualifying the Mercedes is three to four tenths ahead, and it’s one to two tenths in the race. “But the fact remains that Mercedes has always been faster than Red Bull this season.”.

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