"Are you ok, hun?": Red Bull admin's hilarious reply to Mercedes' meme goes viral on social media

The social media admins of Mercedes and Red Bull have locked horns in a hilarious online exchange as the German outfit bragged about one of their most dominant F1 cars ever.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit showcased their supremacy again at the Japanese GP hosted by the Suzuka International Racing Course. After emerging from a dismal Australian GP feat where Max Verstappen scored DNF due to brake failure on Lap 4, and Sergio Perez finished outside the podium in P5, both the RB20s crossed the finish line in 1-2, taken by Verstappen and Checo, respectively.

On the other hand, the German outfit produced yet another subpar result, with Geroge Russell claiming the seventh spot, whilst Lewis Hamilton narrowly scored the points in P9.

Since the aerodynamic era shadowed the hybrid-engine era, Mercedes lost its unfathomable reign of supremacy it enjoyed for eight consecutive years, from 2014 to 2021. Amid their dominant streak, the W11 was arguably the best car in all aspects, especially at the turns, courtesy of DAS.

The Dual Axis Steering helped capitalize on the mechanical grip at the turns by adjusting the toe of the front wheels, ensuring the fastest maneuverability through the corners. The FIA banned DAS after the 2020 season ended with Hamilton clinching his seventh GP world title.

However, since the end of the 2021 season, the German outfit has been on the receiving end of criticism after supposedly failing to provide Hamilton with a championship-winning car. Amidst the strenuous atmosphere after the recently concluded Japanese GP, Mercedes' admin posted a rather hysterical comparison image of the W15 and W11, denoting:

"If you don't love me at my (W15), you don't deserve me at my (W11)."

The Red Bull's admin was quick to take note of the meme just released in the motorsport market, following which they took a sarcastic jibe, commenting:

"Are you ok, hun?"

The aforementioned comment from Red Bull Racing's Instagram account has garnered over 55,000 likes and 1,100 replies at the time of writing.

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Lewis Hamilton details the rationale behind letting his Mercedes teammate overtake him

Lewis Hamilton praised the notable improvements in the W15's Japanese GP package despite qualifying seventh fastest on the grid. However, as the Brit continued taming his #44 Mercedes in the 53-lap run at Suzuka, he witnessed the damage on his car from an early restart contact with his future teammate Charles Leclerc slowing him down.

The reduction in pace prompted the 7x WDC to radio in and ask, "Shall I let George by?" On Lap 14, the teammates switched their track position, and Russell, with a faster pace than Hamilton, maintained his lead and went on to secure the seventh spot in the race, followed by the 39-year-old in P9.

During a post-race talk, Hamilton shed light on the series of events that led him to let Russell pass by, saying (via F1.com):

“I got some damage I think in the first stint at the restart with Charles [Leclerc] and I had massive understeer, like huge, huge understeer. So that’s why I decided to let George by, because he seemed quicker and I just couldn’t turn the car."