Mercedes vs Red Bull battle: "Lewis Hamilton was the leader in this"

Despite having a fantastic battle on track between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, off track it's mostly about Mercedes trying to weaken their opponent (Red Bull) in any way they can.

It's something we've also seen in recent years, but towards Mercedes. Now Mercedes is the one that lags behind Red Bull and the roles are reversed. It all started with the flexi-wing story. Marc Priestley says on his YouTube channel that he has an idea of how Mercedes brought this story out.

"When it comes to the rear wing, we've had that saga. And this whole situation was led by Mercedes. They looked at how Red Bull was generating more speed on the straight and then showed that to the FIA." The Briton also thinks Mercedes are making clever use of Hamilton's influence.

"Remarkably, Lewis Hamilton was the leader in this. He doesn't just say the things he has said at press conferences about the flexi-wing out of the blue. I think this has come from within the team, and Hamilton is the biggest name with perhaps the most influence outwardly. When he talks, people listen."

Mercedes creates next saga

Because the fact is that since the flex-wing rules have been changed and there is extra scrutiny, Mercedes actually only looks more hopeless compared to Red Bull. And so a new saga is being started: the Honda engine, which is said to have been jacked up from previous moments.

"Now we are in a saga about the engine of Red Bull and Honda. And again, I think Hamilton is being used, in this case over the radio, to bring out this complaint. Mercedes and Hamilton know that Hamilton's statements will be broadcast during the race. The question was: 'how much does Red Bull win on the straight?', and he immediately got the answer: 0.25 seconds. You don't start such a discussion during a Grand Prix. Unless you know what you're doing.

In any case, the fact is that for now Verstappen is still doing his job on the track and together with Red Bull is firmly in the lead in both championships. Mercedes will have to make considerable strides or find even more off-track to catch up with Red Bull.