Hamilton puzzled: 'Maybe Red Bull is spending more money'

Lewis Hamilton doesn't understand why Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing are so fast in recent weeks. The Mercedes driver is impressed by the top speed and says there is little he can do about it. Hamilton tells the British media that he doesn't exclude that Red Bull puts more money in 2021 than Mercedes does at the moment.

"They were three or four-tenths faster. Their speed was unbelievable. I couldn't do anything," Hamilton told Sky Sports. He is surprised by the pace of the RB16B. "I don't know where they get that speed from. I think everywhere, but especially on the straights. They've certainly made some pretty big strides in the last few races."

No updates for Mercedes

That Mercedes with its W12 is now behind the times in recent weeks does have a possible cause, according to the British driver."We haven't brought any updates. I can't remember the last time we made improvements. They do. They have improved the engine and also some other parts of the package. That's what keeps them in front. We can't do much at this speed. We have to keep pushing and I'm confident we'll find something."

Since this season, all teams in Formula 1 have had to deal with a budget cap. The racecars have $145 million to distribute, but they also have to use that money to develop the car for 2022. It is a dilemma for each formation how they spend the available money. "Maybe they [Red Bull] are spending more money than we are. Maybe we are putting more into 2022, I don't know. I'm not the one who's about the money."