Mercedes have poured scorn on the possibility of giving Lewis Hamilton a car to win on his 200th race with the team at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion and George Russell were noticeably the quickest car in Brazil a week ago, helping Russell to a maiden Formula One victory.
But team principal Toto Wolff said the idea of ending the season on a high at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - and thereby ensuring Hamilton’s record of winning a race in every season of his F1 career - was highly unlikely.
“I think Abu Dhabi on paper is much more difficult for us because we are still so draggy, but we know why,” said Wolff.
His position was echoed by Russell, who said he expected Max Verstappen to run away with the victory to cap a dominant season for Red Bull.
“Going into Abu Dhabi, I think we’ll probably be similar, my gut is saying, to Ferrari,” he said. “I think maybe a small step behind Red Bull.
“Max and Red Bull are going to be fast here. I think the combination of the low-speed corners and the long straights, they are going to suit their car really, really well. But we’ll still be going for it.”
Russell will go into the winter as just one of three men to have beaten Hamilton as a teammate in the F1 drivers’ standings, following in the footsteps of Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.
The numbers are slightly skewed in his favour by virtue of the fact that, when Mercedes had their struggles earlier in the season, it was Hamilton who took the more extreme car setups for races in a bid to address those issues - often to his detriment.
That approach is credited with helping speed up Mercedes returning to the front of the grid last week, with Russell believing the team can now go on to do more.
“The progress we’ve made as a team has just been unbelievable,” he said. “Since Austin, we’ve as a team fought for victory – or had the possibility for victory – every single race. So, the boost it’s given all of us and the confidence it’s given everybody back at the factory, the factory is going to be pumping over the winter.
“We’re going to be giving everything we’ve got to come out in that very first test with a car that can compete from race one.”
