F1 | Palmer: “For the first time Hamilton is favorite in the world fight”

The fight for the 2022 world championship is becoming increasingly exciting. With six races to go, Formula 1 bids farewell to Europe, and will first stop in the Americas, before moving to the Middle East for the final rush. Several insiders are speculating on which tracks might be favorable to Verstappen or Hamilton between now and the end, and Jolyon Palmer, former Renault driver, wanted to have his say after the race in Istanbul.

“For the first time this season I'm starting to think that Lewis is the favorite for the final victory – Palmer said to talkSPORT. In reality I think that Verstappen can't be happy with how the race went: yes, he finished second and is leading the general classification, but he couldn't compete with Bottas. If Hamilton had started from pole, given his times on Saturday, he would have won easily. He took the penalty for replacing the engine and therefore lost some points, and it was a given unless there were sensational twists. I'm worried because I don't remember the last time Red Bull proved to be faster than Mercedes."

“I think the United States, Mexico and Sao Paulo could be favorable for Red Bull, but frankly I think the last three races in the Middle East are pro Mercedes tracks. Istanbul was in the middle before the weekend, no one really knew how it would end, but it was clear that the Anglo/German team was stronger. Bottas never had to worry about Verstappen, they were first and second throughout the race but at a safe distance, he won by 15 seconds. This is a testament to Mercedes' strength: Hamilton will be able to put a lot of pressure and bring the championship to his side in the Middle Eastern races, while Max has to fly to the Americas."