Kees van de Grint, who has been a prominent figure in the careers of some prominent members of the grid, wants ‘illegal Mercedes’ chatter to stop.
With Mercedes displaying exceptional speed in Brazil, there were murmurs of Mercedes doing something illicit. Especially from their main rivals Red Bull.
But several key F1 members are now fed up with the accusations, including former Bridgestone’s tyre specialist during Ferrari’s domination in the early 2000s, and sees Mercedes car standing perfectly under the lines of FIA.
“The speed differences between the teams was not that great in Qatar,” said van de Grint to RTL GP. “Mercedes just got it right.” van de Grint, when heard about the “illegal Mercedes”, replied that its chatter must stop.
“Since the FIA has said that it’s not illegal, then the chatter about it must stop,” he added. Van de Grint played a pivotal role in Michael Schumacher’s time in F3. Meanwhile, he also worked with Lewis Hamilton during the Briton’s karting years.
Should be grateful to Max Verstappen to challenge Mercedes
The Silver Arrows have dominated the sport for the last seven years by securing every championship in the mentioned period. Now, finally, Verstappen has managed to give them a run for their money.
“Without him, this show would be nothing. We really would be all falling asleep,” said van de Grint. The Dutchman currently leads the championship table by eight points.
And with only two races remaining, he would be eyeing to win at least one race to solidify his case against Hamilton for the championship.
The next race in Jeddah would be absolutely essential for the 24-year-old. And if he wins the race and Hamilton finishes P7 or behind, Verstappen will seal the title.
Then the competition would not need to reach the end of the wire in Abu Dhabi. And would break the Briton’s championship-winning streak of the last four years.
Max can win the title at the next race in Saudi Arabia if he:
– Wins with Fastest Lap, and Lewis is 6th
– Wins, and Lewis is 7th
– Is 2nd with Fastest Lap, and Lewis is 10th
– Is 2nd, and Lewis fails to score#F1 #HistoryAwaits pic.twitter.com/aqPZcTr8Vz
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2021