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Race Winner Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing celebrates in Parc Ferme
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Analysis

How Verstappen exposed Mercedes' key weakness

Employing a contra strategy to Mercedes in qualifying gave Red Bull's Max Verstappen an early edge in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. But the manner of the crushing defeat he inflicted on Mercedes reflected a key weakness in the so far dominant W11

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There can be no doubt that the Mercedes W11 is the class of the 2020 Formula 1 field. But, for several key reasons, the moment it showed the slightest weakness, Max Verstappen and Red Bull were able to punch straight through the defences of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to win the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

It had been business as usual in qualifying, where Bottas took pole 0.928 seconds clear of Nico Hulkenberg in a sensational third place for Racing Point. But the grid-setting session is a crucial place to start when it comes to the reasons for Mercedes' defeat.

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