I think Latifi is going to outqualify his teammate a few times next year…
The wildcard in this will be the new cars. Every driver will be relearning how to get around a track. Russell’s performance in a Mercedes last year can’t be overhyped. He had to squeeze his feet into undersize shoes to get to the pedals. He barely lost out on the pole to Bottas and comfortably outraced him the next day. Starting on level terms with Lewis next year… He’s going to turn some heads. I’m not a Mercedes fan but I do like George. He’ll be fun to watch.
I do wonder how long Lewis sticks with it. He doesn’t have anything left to prove or accomplish. I feel like he gave up to some extent last weekend. Since we never know what’s actually going on with his tires, as outsiders we can’t really interpret what he may have been capable of producing. I think those mediums would likely have had it, but if he had been allowed to race and pass Max, could he have gotten his elbows out and defended? In years past it seemed like it would have been inevitable.
Max is quietly becoming dominant. He would be miles ahead in the championship without some rotten luck (matched by astounding luck for Lewis). Both guys outclass their teammates to a ridiculous extent, like they’re diving completely different cars. If the car advantage is somewhat maintained last year, Mercedes having two top drivers to Red Bull’s lone guy could be everything.
