Verstappen’s wins reinforce Mercedes’ belief in a closely matched F1 field

Max Verstappen took his first Formula 1 wins of the season in Malaysia and Singapore after finishing second in Azerbaijan. Those results have strengthened Mercedes’ view that the field is closely matched, deputy team principal Bradley Lord said. A Red Bull update in Baku brought a step forward for the RB22 and helped Verstappen fight for victories.

On the Silver Arrows podcast, Lord said Mercedes had made that point throughout the season, even during its own earlier run of wins. He also said Red Bull and Ferrari had been considerably more competitive in the Malaysian and Singapore Grands Prix than in the races before them.

Lord pointed to the updates: Ferrari and Red Bull brought changes before or in the run-up to Baku, while Mercedes introduced its own in Malaysia. He said the upgrades had not worked equally well for every team straight away. Mercedes’ operating window has narrowed, and Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have struggled to get the most from the car.

Before the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes led Ferrari by 134 points in the constructors’ championship. Lord said the team needed to keep learning to unlock the car’s full potential, so it could approach the coming races confident of fighting for wins.