Red Bull have teased Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton after they suffered another miserable weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Red Bull’s social media team have teased Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, suggesting that the seven-time world champion was ‘admiring’ the RB20 after crossing the line behind Max Verstappen in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The legendary Brit took the lead of the sprint on the opening lap, muscling pole-sitter Lando Norris to the outside before emerging from turn three at the point. From here, Hamilton led for half of the race before Verstappen, who had started in fourth place, made his way to the front.
Once he had snatched the lead from Hamilton, Verstappen cruised off into the distance, opening up a 13-second lead as he crushed his former title rival’s hopes of ending his winless streak at the Shanghai International Circuit.
After the race, the pair embraced on the grid after pulling up in their respective slots, and after trading pleasantries, Hamilton went to inspect the three-time world champion’s machinery. A photograph of this moment was then posted to Red Bull’s social media channels with the caption: “RB20 already gaining admirers.”
For Hamilton, there is plenty to admire with the RB20 when compared to his Mercedes machinery. The Silver Arrows have endured their worst-ever start to an F1 season and are on a winless streak that dates back to the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
With both Hamilton and team-mate George Russell struggling to get comfortable with the W15, this run will likely continue through the remainder of the 2024 campaign. The former is also enduring a miserable start to the year with a P9 finish in Shanghai leaving him ninth in the Drivers’ Championship standings after five rounds with 19 points to his name.
Verstappen, in contrast, is loving life at the front of the field. The Dutchman is chasing a fourth successive Drivers’ Championship crown and has kicked off his title defence with five consecutive pole positions and four Grand Prix victories.
Despite a mechanical DNF at the Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen is already 25 points clear at the top of the standings and with team-mate Sergio Perez improving but not at the level of his colleague, it appears that nobody can stop the reigning champion.
All hope isn’t lost for Hamilton though. The Silver Arrows are set to increase a major upgrade package at the Miami Grand Prix next weekend and while Toto Wolff has been coy about how much lap time these changes will bring, the Brackley-based outfit are finally beginning to understand the causes of their critical issues.
