Mercedes impressed by Red Bull Racing: 'Our car had failed'
General
Max Verstappen was shocked just before the Hungarian Grand Prix when his mechanics managed to repair his car in record time. For many other teams, his visit to the barriers on the way to the grid would have cost them a Grand Prix start. It turns out, even Mercedes would've struggled.
Once the car came to the mechanics, they discovered that the damage was relatively minor. The steering rod was bent and the push rod connecting the steering rod to the wheel was damaged. "If it had been the suspension, the race would have been over for Max," said team boss Christian Horner.
Mercedes and Hamilton impressed
Mercedes was also impressed by the work that was done at Red Bull Racing. In fact, they suggest they wouldn't have managed to do it themselves, although that is also due to the design of their car. “Most of what we could have done in twelve minutes was to replace the handlebar, nothing more. Our suspension is too complicated for that," one of the Mercedes mechanics is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
Lewis Hamilton would react with surprise and admiration to those twelve minutes afterwards at the press conference and inspected the RB16 extensively shortly after the race. The world champion proved with his urge to get the point for the fastest lap, that he is always looking for an advantage over the competition.