Hamilton grid penalty still to come: 'We expect a new combustion engine'

The United States Grand Prix was an interesting weekend for the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. On Friday Mercedes seemed to be much quicker, but on Saturday Red Bull was suddenly very close again due to a set-up change. Martin Brundle thought it was a great duel between two brilliant drivers.

Max Verstappen won the Grand Prix despite it looking like Mercedes would be dominant again on Friday. The relief from Red Bull and the Dutchman seems to be a result of a cautious set-up from Mercedes with which they wanted to protect the bottom of the car and a good update to the aerodynamics.

"It does seem that the update aero fitted by Mercedes at Silverstone and finessed since along with a mechanism which can collapse the rear suspension down at higher aero loads has been very effective," explained the Briton in his column for SkySports.

What may yet play the most significant role in the upcoming races is a possible grid penalty for Hamilton. "There are five races to go in six weekends and we expect Lewis may have to take another internal combustion engine which will attract a five-place grid drop."

Furthermore, the former Formula One driver indicates that some circuits will clearly be an advantage for Red Bull, such as Mexico, but there will also be circuits where Mercedes are likely to do better. The title fight is only going to get more exciting.