Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton may have pipped Max Verstappen at the post after the Red Bull otherwise dominated the 2021 season opener in Bahrain. That challenger is indeed Verstappen, although even Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas thinks it is overly simplistic to say Formula 1 simply attacked Mercedes’ dominance with new rules. Mercedes also aced the strategy on Sunday and Wolff hailed Hamilton for manifesting those tactics “precisely”. “On one lap we struggle more with the balance but at race pace, the behaviour of the car is much more neutral,” the Mercedes team boss said. “I think it’s something that all the fans have wanted for a long time,” said the British driver when asked about the prospect of a close battle in 2021.

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