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via Reuters

via Reuters

The Hungarian GP might’ve ignited some hope in the Mercedes garage after Lewis Hamilton secured a pole for the first time since 2021. However, the team got a brutal reality before the first corner of the race from Max Verstappen. Despite Mercedes’ significant upgrades and changes to the car, they’re nowhere near Red Bull. This brutal reality is something Hamilton wants to see change as soon as possible. Despite opposing the idea of going in Red Bull’s developmental direction initially, Hamilton is ready to bow down to the superiority of Verstappen and Co.

The Brit was opposed to teams copying the RB18 for the 2023 season to gain an advantage. Aston Martin was relatively successful in their attempts. However, the problem was at the source of Mercedes. This led them to abolish the zeropod design after multiple public and private requests from Hamilton. However, despite changing their developmental path, they’re far from the Austrian team and now Hamilton has made a shameless admission, as quoted by Formu1a.uno.

via Imago

“We generally have a bigger wing than some of the others,” Says Hamilton. “Like the Red Bulls for example, but they seem to have more downforce from their floor.”

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“We have a lot of work to do, I’m like a broken record. I’ve just gotta keep telling the guys: ‘We need to go in that direction’. I would like to see that either with this year’s car or next year,” admitted Hamilton. (Translated via Google)

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Unites Mercedes in Times of Heavy Crisis

In fact, after being unable to exact revenge for the 2021 championship and a horrendous 2022, Hamilton has become more appreciative of Verstappen’s talents.

Fierce rival Lewis Hamilton finally appreciates Max Verstappen’s talents behind the wheel

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The two fought tooth and nail in 2021, 2022 was where the bad blood cooled down and in 2023, Hamilton and Verstappen might as well be getting along. The two, who could not even look eye to eye, are now appreciating each other in public. Hamilton even admitted Verstappen’s time to dominate has come.

via Imago

Hamilton said, “For a long, long time we’ve [Mercedes] had periods of domination. I’m lucky to have had one with my team. Michael Schumacher had it, Sebastian Vettel had it, and now Max’s time [of domination] has arrived.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Bromance moments between Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton

Can you imagine such a statement from either in the 2021 season? Perhaps the lack of competition between the two has made them appreciative of each other’s efforts. After all, the game recognizes the game.