Lewis Hamilton admits he is impressed with the way Red Bull have dominated Formula 1 in 2022 as he reflected on his past criticism of the team.
Red Bull are more than 100 points clear of their nearest competitor Ferrari in the constructors' standings. With eight races to go, it seems likely they will be the ones to finally end Mercedes' winning streak.
Their main man Max Verstappen has been equally as dominant in the drivers' title race. 93 points separate him from team-mate Sergio Perez, while his nearest competitor from another team, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, is five points further away than the Mexican.
But Hamilton feel's the team's efforts have been more eye-catching than those of his former rival. In particular, the Mercedes star singled out long-serving chief technical officer Adrian Newey for praise.
"I'm more impressed with Adrian Newey and his team," said the Brit when asked for his appraisal of Verstappen's form. "It is a great team, they've generally had really great cars for some time.
"They used to have a really high ride height and had more drag than before. They've experienced this year that their engine isn't slower than others, that it was more they had a lot more drag in the previous years. They've done a fantastic job."
Back in 2010, when Hamilton was much younger and less experienced, he reacted to Sebastian Vettel's maiden title win by referring to Red Bull as "just an energy drinks company". They have proven since that they are much more than that, and the seven-time world champion is happy to admit he got that one wrong.
"Anything I would have said in the past about the team, I didn't mean it in a negative way," he explained. "Years ago I said something negative about them being a drinks company and it was really just highlighting that you would bet on a car manufacturer more.
"But they've proved me and everyone wrong and they've done a great job. It's knowing Adrian did his thesis on ground-effect cars when he was at university, so it's no surprise what he has done and created this year. It's impressive. But I believe in the young guns in our team that will catch up."
