Lewis Hamilton Continues His Red Bull Engine Theory as He Rues Mercedes’ 2022 F1 Decision

Lewis Hamilton continues to struggle in the 2021 F1 season after finishing second to Max Verstappen in the Styrian Grand Prix. The Briton proved to be no match for his Dutch rival’s pace throughout the weekend, ultimately finishing 39 seconds behind him in P2.

After the race, the Briton gave his thoughts on Red Bull’s pace, implying that they brought engine upgrades this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton rekindles ‘engine upgrade’ theory to explain Red Bull’s dominance

Despite qualifying just two-tenths behind Verstappen on Saturday, Hamilton was no match for the Dutchman today. While Verstappen cruised to his fourth win of the season with no fuss, Hamilton struggled to trouble the 23-year-old at any point during the race.

After falling short of Verstappen for the second race in a row, Hamilton spoke about Red Bull‘s engine yet again. He believes the Austrian outfit continue to introduce upgrades to their power unit, which is keeping them ahead. He said, “I don’t know really where they were gaining all the speed, but I think it was everywhere in general, particularly on the straights as far as I’m aware.

“We’ve not brought any upgrades. I don’t remember the last time we had an upgrade. But, they have. They’ve clearly brought the engine upgrade and brought some other part of the package and it’s just keeping them ahead.”

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Hamilton: Maybe Red Bull spent more money than us

The Briton also admitted he thought Red Bull spent more money than Mercedes in the 2021 season. Although the cost cap rule is in place this season, the Briton hinted Mercedes could be more focused on next season. He said, “Maybe they spent more money than us this year. Maybe we put more money on next year, who knows. I don’t know. 

“But, I’m not the one who deals with the money, so I’m just driving the car to the maximum and trying to get the best out of it. Which we are, but we need to try and find some more points.”

The Red Bull Ring will also host the next F1 race as the Austrian Grand Prix next weekend. And after this disappointment, Hamilton will hope he can upstage Verstappen next weekend to close the 18-point gap in the driver’s championship.

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