At last weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton again finished far from the top in fifth place, and after the race, the seven-time champion praised the car built this season by rival team Red Bull.

“Of course, I have never seen such a fast car,” commented Hamilton. “When we were fast, we weren’t that fast. This is the fastest car I’ve ever seen, especially compared to the rest.

“I don’t know how, but he (s.s. Verstappen) overtook me at high speed and I didn’t even bother to block him because there was a huge difference in speed. Everyone wants to see a close “combat”, but that’s the way things are. It’s not my problem, it’s not my fault.”

In previous years, Mercedes has been a dominant force in Formula One, winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships between 2014 and 2021, but now the picture has changed.

Hamilton finished eighth in Jeddah qualifying, nearly a second slower than Perez, while Russell had a better fourth, but still almost six tenths of a second behind.

Hamilton says that with Red Bull so far ahead, Mercedes’ goal in the near future is to try and compete with Aston Martin.

“We are still a long way from Red Bull,” commented Hamilton. “It’s definitely amazing to see Ferrari falling behind us and that’s positive for us.”

Mercedes and Aston Martin each have 38 points in the constructors’ standings after two races and are already 49 points behind the Red Bull team.

The F1 season is taking a week off before returning to Melbourne on April 2 for the Australian Grand Prix.

Source: CNN