Lewis Hamilton says he is wary of the rising threat posed by Red Bull, who he expects will be stronger at tracks like Monza and Spa which haven’t previously suited them.

The Mercedes driver expects Red Bull to be stronger on the long straights of the first two tracks on the calendar after the summer break.

“Sometimes a car’s better in [different] places,” he said. “A car is not always the best through a whole season.

“In Austria, the Red Bull was the better package for that circuit. It worked well in the temperatures and everything. Even compared to us it was a good car, and against Ferrari.

“I think Singapore will be strong for them. When we get to the longer places like Monza this year it could be different this year now they have a new power unit, they’re not lower than us in power, in some places they’ve got more power than us. So it’ll be interesting to see how they go in those races.”

Hamilton believes Red Bull is now on an upward trend after struggling in the early years of the V6 hybrid turbo era.

“What people need to remember is that it’s a multi-championship-winning team. They’ve always had a very good car. They’ve got Adrian Newey there who’s one of the best designers there is in the sport.

“They had a slump with a little bit less power, then they had a period of time where they had a little bit less downforce than most people. They’ve definitely crept back up and started to utilise this car more.

“Both drivers are now starting to put in good performances, the second driver’s had good performances. So they’re there. It is clearly a very good car. We’re in obviously a period of time where it suits them.”

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2019 F1 season