There is just no stopping Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes at the moment – not even a rule change some hoped might peg them back. Monza, Hamilton said, was just “very good” and “very clean”. “Not sure how happy Red Bull is now with this engine change,” the Finn said. Verstappen said he did not believe Red Bull’s lack of performance over one lap on Saturday was down to any loss for their Honda engine in qualifying. “Verstappen is normally the only guy who can keep pace with the Mercs and for us it is impossible to do that,” Sainz said, “and if he manages to have the race pace he normally has with the Red Bull, which normally come to life in the race, it will be difficult to keep them behind.

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