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Red Bull employee tells Mercedes their car is ‘stupid’ after watching video of Lewis Hamilton on board

Posted on by Josh L
Red Bull employee tells Mercedes their car is ‘stupid’ after watching video of Lewis Hamilton on board

It was a mixed season for Mercedes, who won three races with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but suffered a second-half slump.

The team unveiled the latest major upgrade to their car in Austin, but the incidents between Russell and Hamilton means they work on older spec cars with a mix of new parts.

Russell finished in the top four in the time Grand Prix of Sao Paulobut it was a weekend to forget for Hamilton, who was hit hard by resurfacing issues.

Hamilton complained that the bumps did not allow him to be confident in his car, which was also echoed Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin. As a result, both riders were seriously injured during the wet race, in conditions in which they had previously dominated.

Watching Hamilton aboard during the race, Red Bull simulator driver Rudy van Buuren believes Mercedes have built a car that is “not worthy” of the seven-time world champion’s abilities, speaking of RacingNews365 NL podcast.

Mercedes has made a car that is “not worthy” of Lewis Hamilton, says Rudy Van Buuren

It was a tough race for Hamilton in America, suffering a retirement after four laps of the US Grand Prix following balance complaints.

Things were better in Mexico when he finished fourth after a strong qualifying, but the race at Intelagos revealed a lot of problems with the W15, according to Van Buuren.

“The car is also stupid if you can see the side. That’s what he started complaining about during the race. I thought it was better after the red flag — I don’t know what they did there,” Van Buren said.

“(Hamilton) is not worth a weekend like this. Under normal circumstances, if you were to name me three drivers right now that you see (thriving) in this kind of weather, Hamilton is on that list.”

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes prepares on the grid ahead of the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the José Carlos Pace Circuit on November 3...
Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Peter Windsor believes that Mercedes “destroyed” Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton described his weekend at Intelagos as a “disaster” with the only highlight coming when he drove ex-Ayrton Senna’s McLaren for a lap before the race.

After the race, the seven-time world champion said it was “the worst car ever”, but praised his mechanics for their work during the pit stops.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside Formula 1 from wealth to family

Peter Windsor believes Mercedes “destroyed” Hamilton’s confidence with this car, preventing him from using his abilities.

Mark Priestley suggested that the problems faced by Hamilton are the same as Daniel Ricciardo from Formula 1, struggling to cope with modern cars.

Max Verstappen managed to win the race from 17th on the grid and although he was helped a bit by the red flag, The Dutchman’s pace at the end of the race showed how unstoppable he was it was wet.

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