Unstoppable, relentless, and awe-inspiring—these are just a few words that come to mind when describing Mercedes’s dominance in the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1. However, times change. And so it did for Lewis Hamilton & Co. as a new challenger in the form of a young Max Verstappen, charging with Red Bull, arose. The challengers, full of spirit and aggression, wouldn’t take themselves for second place to anyone.

The power of Red Bull this year is as good as it gets, making them clear favorites to bag both titles this year. The praise for their RB19 is of the highest order, with Lewis Hamilton lauding the effort better than those cars that he has driven during years of Mercedes’s dominance. But these statements were quickly fact-checked by the Red Bull fans and others as they were reminded of their years of struggle against the Silver Arrows.

After the Saudi Arabia GP, Lewis, as quoted by CNN, remarked, “I have definitely never seen a car so fast. When we were fast, we were not that fast. It is the fastest car I have seen, especially compared to the rest.” While the fans praised the Briton for being real and acknowledging his rival’s prowess, they were also quick to point out the numbers of Mercedes over almost the last decade.

News 24 compiled the numbers of Mercedes’s run in the turbo-hybrid era and presented a reality check to Lewis Hamilton, as they write, “Mercedes won 112 of the 186 races between Australia 2014 and Australia 2023, securing a winning percentage of 60.54%.” The numbers bring out Lewis Hamilton’s statement of hypocrisy. Until the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton won 50.94% of all the races since Australia in 2014.”

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Max Verstappen’s and Red Bull’s “dominance” in true terms was only evident in the last season. For this season, one can’t predict what’s ahead for Red Bull. Plus, a new power unit, set to come in 2026, is expected to shuffle the grid once again, as it did with last year’s regulation changes.

Max Verstappen dismisses Lewis Hamilton’s claims

Lewis Hamilton couldn’t hold on to the lead at the Australian GP as Max Verstappen, aided by his DRS, went flying past him. Fairly, his belief in the prowess of Red Bull is true, but Max believes it to be subpar when compared to the Mercedes of previous years against its rivals.

As quoted by the Independent from RacingNews365, the defending champion said, “I think if you look at the statistics, then those statements are not correct. But we also do have a very good car. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Still, we are not as dominant as Mercedes has shown some years.”

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These numbers presented above show exactly the kind of dominance held by Mercedes when it dominated. The havoc Mercedes ran in the last decade would be a dream for anyone, including Red Bull and Max Verstappen.