Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn shielded Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes from criticism for a season which is “verging on perfection”.
Frustration continues to grow among the much of the fanbase as the Briton cruised to a sixth win of the year at Paul Ricard, beating teammate Valtteri Bottas by 18 seconds.
It was also Mercedes’ sixth one-two of 2019 but while questions continue to be asked about the state of F1, Brawn insists that responsibility is burdened by bosses, not the teams.
“If Mercedes keeps up this pace it could seal the Constructors’ Championship by Monza, with a third of the season still left!” he declared in his post-race debrief.
“Let’s be clear: Lewis, Valtteri and Mercedes are not to blame for a season verging on perfection, and it should be obvious that the rule changes we want to introduce are not directed against a team that is rewriting the record books.
“But we must all understand that the sport we love needs more competition so that other teams can also aspire to podium finishes and it is not just a few powerful teams that dominate.”
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For his part, Hamilton also believes the best is yet to come from himself and Mercedes, as he expressed surprise at his own remarkable record.
“I can’t believe it has been as good a season already to start with as it has,” he told the BBC.
“Particularly as I felt I really struggled in the first few races trying to get on top of the car.
“The races have been strong but in qualifying and practice, I have been really struggling to put my finger on where the performance was and how to extract it.
“But I’m getting there and I know people might not want to hear it, but it is going to get stronger from here.”