“A five-place grid drop could be well worth it”– F1 veteran advises Lewis Hamilton to take another engine penalty for Qatar Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton took a 10-place grid penalty in the Brazil GP and yet managed to overtake Max Verstappen to secure victory.

Former British racing driver Martin Brundle believes that another grid penalty for Mercedes can advantage Lewis Hamilton in taking the lead away from Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had done that at the Brazilian Grand Prix last time out. He stormed from tenth on the grid to pass Verstappen and ultimately take one of the finest victories.

Before the race, Mercedes had taken in a new ICE giving them the advantage of pace at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and grid penalty. The new engine helped Hamilton fly past his rivals with an unmatchable straight-line speed.

Since its opening in 2004, the track in Qatar has primarily been used for MotoGP bike races. The track is made up of reasonably long straight without many slow-speed corners.

The emphasis on straight-line speed could play into Mercedes’ hands, and so Brundle believes that another ICE would not harm Hamilton.

He said, “this story has plenty more to run, and surely on that form, it’s worth Merc considering a new internal combustion engine for the final big showdown.”

“A five-place grid drop could be well worth it, given Lewis passed all the other 19 cars on the grid, 16 of them at least twice,” he further added.

Also Read: Former F1 World Champion advices Max Verstappen to refrain from trying to intimidate the Mercedes driver

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes looks very impressive

After the last weekend’s performance, Red Bull seems increasingly concerned about Mercedes’ pace. Red Bull’s team Christian Horner said that the Mercedes looks “very, very impressive” and that his team “can’t race against that.”

Furthermore, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said, “It looked like the others had one gear less than Hamilton. Mercedes has succeeded in creating a masterpiece with this rocket for the decisive phase.”

Moreover, Brundle said, “Next up is a track in Qatar, which Valentino Rossi will know infinitely better than any F1 driver, and it may well suit his bike more than our F1 cars.”

“With Verstappen’s championship lead down to 14 points, after Checo Perez saved a point grabbing fastest lap off Lewis on the final tour, the championship will run until at least Saudi Arabia now.

Currently, Max Verstappen leads the championship by 14 points with three races remaining. However, the circuits in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates could favour the Mercedes car more than the Red Bull.

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