Mercedes beat Red Bull in Qatar corners, not the straights
Date published: November 24 2021 - Jamie Woodhouse

Mercedes have revealed that it was not their straight-line speed which beat Red Bull in Qatar, instead they did it in the corners.

Lewis Hamilton was dominant in Formula 1’s first visit to the Losail International Circuit, taking pole and the victory at a canter as title rival Max Verstappen was forced to settle for P2.

Much had been made about Hamilton’s new ‘rocket’ engine which made an emphatic debut in Sao Paulo, but it was given a rest for the Qatar GP, and data did indeed show that Mercedes and Red Bull were pretty even in a straight line in Qatar.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...qatar-corners/


Hill fears 'hunter' Hamilton running out of chances
Andrew Lewin24/11/2021 at 09:1724/11/2021 at 12:08

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill believes that the momentum is with Lewis Hamilton in his 2021 battle with Max Verstappen, but that the Briton is running of time and opportunities to pull off an eighth title.

Hamilton pulled off an impressive comeback drive for victory in Sao Paulo after being hit by multiple penalties, and then cruised to a dominant lights-to-flag win in Qatar to cut the points gap to Verstappen in the drivers standings.

He's now just eight points behind his rival with two races to do. On paper, two more back-to-back wins in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi could see him win the title - but Hill reckons that will be very difficult to achieve.

https://f1i.com/news/426189-hill-fea...f-chances.html


Formula 1: Helmut Marko makes very bold Red Bull prediction in fight with Mercedes at Saudi GP
By George Dagless
Published: 24 Nov 2021, 13:00

Never shy of giving his predictions for Formula 1, Helmut Marko has gone on record to say he expects Mercedes' recent pace advantage over Red Bull to no longer exist once we get to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

The last two races have seen Max Verstappen and the Bulls rather hit for six with Lewis Hamilton's sheer speed in his Mercedes proving too hot for them and anyone else to handle.

Indeed, with two races to go, there are just eight points between the title rivals and many are suggesting that it's actually Hamilton in second place that looks the favourite for the championship because of recent form.

“Saudi Arabia is called a Mercedes job, but how often did things like this come out this year? We just have to win there,” he said to Servus TV.

“What I heard from Hermann Tilke, the track designer, is that they are fast sweeps, but they are not absolute straights.

“A lot will depend on the performance of the tyres, as we saw in Qatar.

“Mercedes is no longer superior in top speed."

https://www.givemesport.com/1790939-...es-at-saudi-gp