Max Verstappen has rubbed salt in Mercedes’ wounds after a dominant display at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutchman cruised to pole position with a lap six-tenths faster than nearest rival Carlos Sainz and 1.8 seconds quicker than Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
The blistering pace comes despite a new technical directive which mandates an oscillation check. The new rule changes also prevent teams from using flexible floors which Mercedes George Russell accused Red Bull of in Hungary.
The former Williams star claimed Red Bull had broken the rules and hoped the new rules would bring Mercedes back into play. He said: “There is some changes to some of the regulations which may bring other teams towards us.
“I think we as a team have a lot of confidence in ourselves and faith that we are doing a great job and there’s no reason we can’t be in the mix. There is no doubt Ferrari and Red Bull have pushed the regulations in that regard and we have respected it as the regulation was intended.”
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton caught on camera inspecting Max Verstappen’s car
Hamilton blasted his Mercedes car after qualifying and was even caught looking at Verstappen’s Red Bull after the chequered flag. The seven-time champion suggested he was already looking ahead to next year’s car and hinted Mercedes could look at coping designs to close the gap.
He said: “To be 1.8 seconds behind is a real kick in the teeth. It is what it is. It’s a car we continue to struggle with and definitely won’t miss it at the end of the year. For me it’s just about focussing on how we build and design next year’s car. The other two teams ahead of us are in another league but our car looks so much different to theirs.”
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