"Brutal and cold-blooded" - Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton is back to his best

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reacted to Lewis Hamilton's Qatar Grand Prix win by asserting that RedBull have "woken up the lion". The Brit handily beat rival Max Verstappen to bring himself within eight points of the Dutchman in the 2021 drivers' standings.

Previously, the seven-time world champion had endured a tumultuous Brazil Grand Prix weekend. A technical infringement on his Mercedes' rear wing dropped him to the back of the grid for the sprint qualifying session.

However, he fought back to win in Brazil, following it up this weekend at Qatar with little to no competition. When asked to comment, Wolff said:

"They have woken up the lion on the Saturday in Interlagos. He is absolutely on it. Brutal. And cold blooded,"

The 49-year old from Austria went on to say:

"I think when adversity happens, it takes him to a place where he is able to mobilize superhero powers. It was the adversity that triggered that at Interlagos."

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Lewis Hamilton can take the battle to Abu Dhabi

F1 heads to Jeddah for the first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The new track, which is still under construction, will feature twisty high-speed corners and narrow straights.

It won't be clear as to which of the two title-contending teams will have the upper hand at Jeddah Corniche Circuit until the cars run on the track. It could also prove beneficial for other teams such as McLaren and Ferrari, who are jousting it out for third place in the constructors' championship.

Jeddah promises an action-filled street race, with Lewis Hamilton holding the potential to guarantee a last-leg battle in Abu Dhabi if he finishes ahead of rival Max Verstappen.