Hamilton and Russell had only just scraped through Q1 by the skin of their teeth and while it was clear the F1 icon was battling porpoising issues, it was yet another frustrating afternoon.
Afterwards, tempers flared with cameras picking up on the pair having heated words.
And that’s a damning sign of where Mercedes are currently at. Their title hopes, just mere races into the season, are already virtually over.
Hamilton has been ambitious throughout his own career. He’s a serial winner, somebody who has become accustomed to triumph after triumph.
Yet something seems broken this time around. Instead, it’s Ferrari and Red Bull who look like the sport’s two most dominant teams.
Mercedes haven’t done enough this time around to challenge for the biggest prizes and their two key figures, it seems, are aware of that.
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