Red Bull won’t rule out Mercedes protest as Lewis Hamilton concern spotted – ‘Not normal’

Lewis Hamilton's 'natural ability is fantastic' says Button

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Red Bull have refused to rule out a Mercedes protest following the pulsating Brazilian GP. Christian Horner and his team are concerned about the Mercedes’ superior straight-line speed.

Max Verstappen was beaten by Lewis Hamilton after the Brit started 10th in Sao Paulo following a disqualification and five-place grid penalty.

The seven-time world champion did it the hard way as an FIA document revealed Hamilton had been summoned to the stewards regarding the rear wing on the Mercedes.

It all came after Red Bull lodged a complaint to the FIA about the rear on the Mercedes, with the FIA then impounding Hamilton’s wing overnight regarding his drag reduction system (DRS).

The rear wing was found to have breached F1’s technical regulations and was deemed illegal and Hamilton was thrown out of qualifying.

Therefore, Hamiilton began the sprint race at the back of the grid, but was able to fight through the field to finish fifth in just 24 laps.

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However, due to a five-place grid penalty following an engine change, the Brit began Sunday’s race in 10th.

But the sporting icon showed his class and expertly stormed through the field before arch rival and race leader Max Verstappen on lap 59 to win a pulsating race.

With less than a week to go before the inaugural Qatar GP, Horner thinks it is “too early” to consider protesting against Mercedes and described their pace as “not normal.”

“We need to look at where that speed comes from,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

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“It’s not normal and we need to look at it, but it’s too early to protest.”

Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko is also suspicious of Mercedes performance this past weekend.

It is a “mystery to us,” the Austrian said.

“With us, a new engine brings three to five kilowatts. Hamilton’s new engine brings a good 15.

“Mercedes says they have an insane amount of engine wear, but that won’t help us because then the championship will be over. Now we are trying to understand how everything works.”

Hamilton’s epic win saw him close the gap on his rival at the top of the driver’s standings to just 14 points with just three races to go in the season.

The motorsport legend is completely focused on winning as many points as possible in a bid to retain his world title and win a record eighth championship. 

He told the Spanish broadcaster DAZN: “There did seem to be many forces that were against us this weekend and we just fought on as a team, this is what a world championship battle should look like.”

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