Red Bull employee tells Mercedes their car is a ‘fool’ after watching Lewis Hamilton onboard footage

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It has been a mixed season for Mercedes having won three races with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton but suffered a drop-off in form in the second half.

The team introduced the last significant upgrade to their car in Austin, but incidents between Russell and Hamilton mean they are running older-specification cars with a mix of new parts.

Russell finished inside the top four during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but it was a weekend to forget for Hamilton who suffered badly from the problems posed by the resurfacing of the track.

Hamilton complained that the bumps were making it impossible for him to have confidence in his car, something that was also echoed by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin. As a result, both drivers suffered dramatically in the wet race, conditions they had previously excelled.

Having watched the onboard of Hamilton during the race, Red Bull simulator driver Rudy van Buren believes Mercedes has made a car that is ‘not worthy’ of the seven-time world champion’s abilities when speaking on the RacingNews365 NL podcast.

Mercedes made car that is ‘not worthy’ of Lewis Hamilton says Rudy Van Buren

It has been a difficult run of races for Hamilton in the Americas, having suffered from a retirement after four laps of the US Grand Prix after complaining about the balance.

Things were better in Mexico when he finished in fourth place following a strong qualifying, but the race in Intelagos exposed a lot of problems with the W15 according to Van Buren.

“The car is also a fool if you see the onboard. That’s what he started to complain about during the race. I thought it was better after the red flag – I don’t know what they did there,” said Van Buren.

“[Hamilton is] not worthy a weekend like that. In normal circumstances, if you name me now three drivers that you see [thriving] in this weather, Hamilton is in that list.”

Peter Windsor thinks Mercedes has ‘destroyed’ Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton branded his weekend in Intelagos a ‘disaster’ with the only stand out moment being when he drove an ex-Ayrton Senna McLaren for a parade lap before the race.

The seven-time world champion was heard after the race saying it was “the worst the car has ever been” but praised his mechanics for their work during the pit stops.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Peter Windsor thinks Mercedes has ‘destroyed’ Hamilton’s confidence with this car, preventing him from being able to exploit his abilities.

Marc Priestley suggested that the problems facing Hamilton are the same that drove Daniel Ricciardo out of F1, having struggled to get to grips with the modern cars.

Max Verstappen managed to win the race from P17 on the grid and although he had a bit of help from the red flag, the Dutchman’s pace at the end of the race showed just how unstoppable he was in the wet conditions.