If someone had said this time last year that Haas would have a faster car than Mercedes, it would've been a struggle to convince anyone to listen.
But that's exactly the scenario Lewis Hamilton says he was facing in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race as he laid bare the extent to which the tables have turned in Formula One this season. Hamilton found himself fighting to overtake Mick Schumacher after a spectacular duel to finish 8th at the Red Bull Ring.
Hamilton had to work hard to split the Haas duo and finish behind Kevin Magnussen after being caught in a DRS train - and he admitted the cars he was facing were simply quicker than his Mercedes down the straights. That is a remarkable state of affairs given Mercedes have won eight straight constructors titles whereas Haas failed to register a single point last season and managed just three in 2020.
