Mercedes accused of 'waving white flag' with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas call
Lewis Hamilton found himself behind Valtteri Bottas thanks to a Mercedes switch during the Austrian Grand Prix after the seven-time world champion struggled with damage as his main title rival Max Verstappen dominated. But Jolyon Palmer has spoken out to criticise the Silver Arrows for the decision.
Hamilton finished off the podium in fourth place, with Verstappen extending his lead over the Briton by 32 points, with Valtteri Bottas in second and Lando Norris in third, despite serving a five-second penalty during the race.
However, former F1 driver Palmer has described the ‘switch’ by Mercedes towards to latter part of the race as a ‘white flag’ being waved by the reigning champions, and thinks it could be a warning sign they’re surrendering in the title fight.
“It was a little bit of a white flag from Mercedes today, it felt like they were surrendering points – in terms of the drivers’ championship,” Palmer said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Obviously they are still concentrating on the constructors’, we heard the race radio instruction to keep Sergio Perez at bay.
“But I think winning the drivers’ championship is what Formula 1 is all about.
