- Mercedes believe engine change will be advantage in Jeddah
- Max Verstappen leads by eight points with two races left
Lewis Hamilton will go into the crucial penultimate round of the Formula One season with a vital advantage in his Mercedes car. After Hamilton’s dominant win in Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, confirmed he would bereverting to his newest engine at the next meeting in Saudi Arabia, which may make the difference in the world champion’s title fight with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The championship is finely poised. Hamilton’s victory in Qatar closed the gap to Verstappen to just eight points with 52 available from the two remaining meetings. Mercedes lead Red Bull by just five points in the constructors’ contest.