The championship has left us on edge all year, and the momentum has shifted. Lewis Hamilton has simply found another level of individual performances, so is he now the title favourite?
Merely four weeks ago, Max was clearly in the lead, set to win the championship. However, in Hamilton’s incredible run of form, the gap has reduced to just 8 points with two races to go.
Waking up the lion: Following the Qatar GP, Toto Wolff stated that “dropping Hamilton to the back of the grid for the spring Qualifying awoke the lion within the British driver.” Hamilton’s last two performances have been phenomenal, from his last-to-first drive in Brazil, followed by a commanding victory in Qatar.
A new engine: After using the Brazil GP engine only once, Mercedes has saved Lewis’ motor for the last two races: where straight-line speed is crucial, especially in Jeddah, a high-speed street track with fast corners and long straights. This could help the 7-time world champion edge out his rival Verstappen in the last two races.
The pace of the Mercedes car: It felt like the Red Bull leapt at a tremendous speed after the US and Mexico GPs, especially since it’s been a Merc track since the hybrid era. In Brazil and Qatar, Mercedes was the car to beat, having a significant pace advantage over the Red Bull. The car’s aerodynamics and straight-line speed advantage were significantly noticeable in the Losail circuit’s high-speed corners. The Mercedes car’s technology drops the rear stalling, the diffuser and decreases the drag after reaching a certain speed. Although it wasn’t successfully replicated on all tracks, such as in Austin, it was productive in Brazil on the pit, coupled with the brand-new engine.
The second driver: Bottas and Perez both significantly performing and consistently fighting for the top; their competition is crucial in determining who takes home the championship. Team orders could use the second driver to hold Lewis or Max and force them into different strategies.
The last two races of the year will be exhilarating, and it will all come down to which track suits the cars better – with the Merc performing better at front limited tracks. The high speeds of the Jeddah Circuit will favour the Merc, and the championship will go down to the wire in the final race at Abu Dhabi.
