Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton expressed concern about Crimson Bull’s continued dominance and questioned whether or not Mercedes may shut the hole subsequent 12 months after Method One’s Abu Dhabi season-ender on Sunday.

Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen took a document nineteenth victory in 22 Grands Prix, and his twenty first podium of the 12 months, as his workforce closed out essentially the most dominant of campaigns, successful all however one of many races.

The style of the Dutch driver’s remaining victory of the season offered little reassurance for these hoping for nearer competitors in 2024, with Verstappen 17.993 seconds away from Ferrari runner-up Charles Leclerc.

The once-dominant Mercedes completed second within the constructors’ championship however with lower than half the factors scored by Crimson Bull.

“It isn’t been an excellent 12 months. There’s not rather a lot to take from the 12 months normally,” Hamilton advised Sky Sports activities after ending ninth with teammate George Russell third.

“The truth that I survived it, in all probability that is about it.

“At this second I do not actually know,” he added when requested whether or not he believed Mercedes may problem with subsequent 12 months’s automotive.

“For Crimson Bull to win by 17 seconds in the long run and so they have not even developed their automotive since August is unquestionably a priority.

“However we have realized rather a lot in regards to the automotive and it is simply all the way down to the workforce now. They know what they should do. Whether or not or not we’ll get there, we’ll see.”

Workforce boss and co-owner Toto Wolff sounded extra optimistic, regardless of Mercedes ending a season winless for the primary time since 2011.

“Today feels such as you’ve gained and that is nice. We have got to be pleased about that but additionally as a racer you need extra, however at the moment we gained,” he mentioned of the battle with Ferrari for second total.

“We’ve a spot to the leaders, however the two [Mercedes] groups in Brackley and Brixworth [engines] are so motivated, we have now a lot good issues within the pipeline, a lot new issues.

“I’m in a very good place to see what’s coming collectively. We have got to take momentum from right here and take that momentum into the factories.”