Mercedes are looking into the considerable pace differentials between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at different races throughout the season after the latter discussed his confusion over the big performance gaps experienced by the two drivers on a week-to-week basis.

The two Mercedes drivers were split at 11-all in the qualifying head-to-head battle following Russell’s impressive display in Abu Dhabi, although neither of the pair were happy with the state of the W14’s development come the final race of the year.

Max Verstappen’s emphatic victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw him wrap up the F1 season on a positive note after dominating proceedings for the entire campaign. The Dutchman earned more than double the points tally of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and will be the hot favourite to make it four titles in a row in 2024.

However, it remains to be seen whether the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris will be able to challenge Verstappen for next year’s end-of-season honours. The former is still chasing an eighth world title but will need Mercedes to give him a quicker car in order to rival Red Bull for victories on a consistent basis.

Norris, meanwhile, could be set to emerge as Verstappen’s closest contender if McLaren keep developing their car on an upward trajectory. The Woking squad have come on leaps and bounds over the last few months and will have high hopes of pulling off a surprise title challenge when next season gets underway