Mercedes and Red Bull like two boxers 'exchanging blows' - Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has likened his team's 2021 F1 title fight with Red Bull as being akin to two boxers slugging it out in the middle of a ring.

Mercedes and Red Bull went toe to toe throughout the 22 grands prix, with the former going on to claim an eighth consecutive constructors' championship.

The manufacturer, though, controversially missed out on another drivers' title on the final lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi, with Max Verstappen winning his maiden crown.

Assessing the differences between the two teams, speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Wolff said: "It's hard for me to judge how Red Bull is set up internally.

"Our strength is our attitude and the values ​​we always adhere to. Maybe we can solve problems faster and better because we always take the approach of 'What did we do wrong?'"

Ferrari made mistakes - Wolff

As to why it was only a two-horse battle between Mercedes and Red Bull and why Ferrari failed to make it a three-way fight, Wolff added: "With the Ferrari, the power came from the engine.

"We knew we could beat them if we managed to make up for the deficit on the straights. Ferrari also made more mistakes.

"With Red Bull, it was an open exchange of blows, like two boxers taking turns trading punches."

Wolff has refused to blame Hamilton's defeat on what he has described as an "epidemic" of problems with the power unit.

Mercedes, along with customer teams Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams, were all forced to take additional systems over the second half of the season.

"We didn't lose the championship because of the engine, but it's true we had problems for the first time in eight years," remarked Wolff.

"At first, it only affected a component from a bad production run. This developed into an epidemic in which the engines lost more power over the period than they used to."

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