Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is thrilled with the progress his team have made by fettling the W12 over the course of the season, as the Mercedes package now appears to have the edge in pace over Red Bull's RB16B. While the development of the cars has been stopped for some time now, with the teams shifting focus to the revolutionary regulations changes on the way for 2022, there has been an ebb and flow of competitiveness between the two rival teams, with Mercedes picking up the momentum heading into the final races. With Hamilton claiming back-to-back wins in Brazil and Qatar, he explained where Mercedes have found their edge. "I think, as the year's gone on, we've understood the car more," he told media, including RacingNews365.com , after the race in Qatar. "[We've] definitely been able to squeeze more performance out of the package without bringing any upgrades - we've not had an upgrade since Silverstone. It's been quite phenomenal to see the small bits and the increments that we've been improving. "It's very close between the two cars clearly, so I think that lines us up for a great battle. In these last two [races], I think we've just been able to do a better job overall. And I hope that we can take this form into the next two."
Fighting fit for the final two races
On top of the car being in good shape, Hamilton feels physically in peak condition. The reigning World Champion contracted COVID-19 at the end of 2020 and admitted to struggling with the after-effects at times during the 2021 season. One year on from having the virus, Hamilton says he feels at the top of his game heading to the final two races of the season. "I feel great, I feel in the best shape physically that I've been all year," he commented. "Obviously at the beginning of the year, [I was] not particularly that well. [But] I feel great [and] the car is feeling better than ever. "I feel positive going into these next couple of races. I think they should be quite good for our car, so I'm looking forward to that battle."
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