Verstappen looks to usurp Hamilton again with Spanish Grand Prix win
MADRID: On a track where he made history as the youngest driver to win a Formula One race, Max Verstappen hopes to usurp world champion Lewis Hamilton again at the Spanish Grand Prix.
All eyes will be on Verstappen this week following his remarkable victory at Silverstone last weekend. The Red Bull driver finished more than 10 seconds ahead of Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate Valteri Botas, ending a run of three straight wins for Hamilton and four consecutive for the team.
Few saw the win coming, least of all Mercedes, whose tire issues under heat played into the ice-cool Verstappen’s hands. He was given a glimpse of a chance and seized it with trademark confidence for a ninth career win - even joking with his race engineer over team radio on the last lap while others in the garage were chewing their nails.
“He was having some banter about hydrating and sanitizing his hands,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “But that just showed how in control he was at the time.”
Verstappen’s dry wit is as sharp as his reflexes and a refreshing change from the stream of angry rants earlier in his career.
“Let’s keep this week’s (comment) a surprise, but I think we should keep it going,” the Dutch driver said.
Considering how Mercedes struggled to cope with tires amid unusually high temperatures for England, Red Bull’s hopes of challenging Mercedes again in the searing heat of Spain are legitimate.
Mercedes, which dominates F1 the way Red Bull did from 2010-13, is acutely aware of that.
“We used the last few days to build a beter understanding of the problem,” Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff said. “Our performance seems stronger in slightly cooler conditions.”
Mercedes struggled in Spain four years ago, although for very different reasons as feuding teammates Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed into each other three turns ater the start and went out.
The opportunist Verstappen won that race on his Red Bull debut at the age of 18, stunning F1 viewers with the nerveless audacity of his driving. He secured six more podium finishes in a remarkable breakthrough year.
Now he wants a crack at Hamilton, who says he welcomes a sustained challenge from Red Bull.
“It’s great,” the British star said. “I want to have races where they are challenging.”
Hamilton is chasing a seventh world title to equal Michael Schumacher’s record and leads second-placed Verstappen by 30 points in the standings.
Verstappen’s problem is that a reliance on hot tracks is not enough to close the gap, given Hamilton’s sizeable lead and in a calendar shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Furthermore, Verstappen needs a strong performance in qualifying, considering that 21 of the 29 races held at the venue have been won from pole position. Overtaking at the Circuit de Barcelona-catalunya, with its blend of low-speed and high-speed turns, is very difficult.
Hamilton holds the F1 record with 91 career pole positions while Verstappen has just two - underlining how a speed difference between their cars remains a setback no mater how dazzling Verstappen’s driving can be.
Ater siting out both races at Silverstone while he recovered from the coronavirus, Mexican driver Sergio Perez will be back behind the wheel for Racing Point.
Perez was given the all-clear by governing body FIA ater testing negative for COVID-19, ending Nico Hulkenberg’s brief return to F1 as his last-minute replacement.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has replaced disgruntled Sebastian Vetel’s chassis.
The four-time F1 champion has made the worst start to a season since 2008 and has yet to even finish in the top five. His final year with the proud Italian manufacturer is turning into an annus horribilis and he sits a dismal 13th in the standings with only 10 points.