'No tactics in the world would have put Hamilton in the lead'

Max Verstappen won the Styrian GP convincingly last weekend, increasing his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull also remained firmly in the lead in the Constructors' Championship by 40 points.

This was also the view of Auto, Motor und Sport, which on its own site states that Red Bull simply has the faster package at the moment. "Mercedes admitted it: Red Bull had the faster package on its home circuit. The Honda engine is a rocket. The RB16B has been continuously developed over the past three races. In Spielberg, five vans brought in new parts. Mercedes has pretty much ground to a halt since Baku. That, in combination, gives Red Bull an advantage. The Red Bull Ring circuit favoured him." The site also goes on to state that Hamilton could not have changed anything about the situation on the track itself.

"No tactics in the world would have put Hamilton in the lead. The world champion regularly checked his pit box to see if there was a glimmer of hope. A higher tire wear on the opponent's side. Or rain. Race engineer Pete Bonnington had to express regret. Even in tire usage, Mercedes couldn't score. Verstappen had the composure up front to distribute the tires as he wanted. Hamilton, on the other hand, drove constantly on the edge."

Fastest lap for Hamilton

Thanks to the big gap with Verstappen, Hamilton could go for the fastest lap though. He did so at the end of the race. "Even the fastest lap became a nail-biter for Mercedes. There was only one possible moment to make a second pit stop to prevent Verstappen from counter-attacking. But for the one free lap on the soft tyres, a gap in the field had to be found first. There was almost none. Hamilton took his foot off the gas for the last four laps before the stop, not only to recharge his batteries, but also to have a clear track ahead of him after the pit stop. He then had to pass Mick Schumacher anyway. He did it before Turn 9."

After that, the Brit grabbed an extra point. Next weekend, on the same circuit, it shouldn't be too different from last weekend. Mercedes seems to have to hope for a mistake/problem with the Dutchman, or rain.