Hamilton hopes McLaren-Mercedes joins 2021 “three-way” title fight · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton says he hopes McLaren ‘s conversion to Mercedes power next year will lead them into a championship match with his team and Red Bull.

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Lando Norris received a certificate within two tenths of a second of the pole positioning time of Max Verstappen and both Mercedes drivers. Speaking after receiving a certificate, Hamilton said he was relieved by the sight of his former McLaren team in the fight for the top spots on the grid.

“I’m really pleased to see the McLaren so close, especially with how they have changes and are using our engine next year,” he said.

“It’s good to see that at the end of the year with a good car so that they can fight with us next year. If that makes it a three-way team competition, I think that would be amazing for the fans. ”

McLaren last used Mercedes power in 2014

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is inspired by their first steps with their new engine supplier.

“Our collaboration with the Mercedes partnership has got off to a great start, right from the first meeting onwards,” he said. “It’s a very open collaborative partnership. ”

The two have a long history of working together. McLaren was powered by Mercedes between 1995 and 2014, and was their factory team for much of that time.

“The boys in Brixworth are very knowledgeable,” Seidl said. “Of course there is a lot of history between the boys in Brixworth and McLaren, who helped us go again,” he said.

“But it is also clear that this is a different partnership from the past. The Mercedes team is in Formula 1 and we are a customer but I am very happy with everything I have seen so far.

“The merger of the Mercedes power unit is going well and I am sure we will be in good shape next year from the first race onwards. ”

Read Dieter Rencken’s analysis of what McLaren’s new £ 185 million investment means to the team in this week’s RacingLines column

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