Many people, especially the people who (pretend to) know about it, now see Lewis Hamilton as the big favorite for the Formula 1 world title in 2021. That while the Dutchman is simply ahead in the championship. The next two races are going to be tense, but Verstappen really doesn’t have to (and he certainly won’t) give up.
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Verstappen is in the lead in the championship
Lewis Hamilton may have won the last two races, but he certainly isn’t leading the championship. Max Verstappen will enter the last two races with a lead of eight points. The Dutchman therefore has everything in his own hands. In fact, with two races to go, a win would be enough for him, provided he doesn’t retire in that other race.
The pressure is therefore entirely on his Mercedes rival, who should not make any mistakes in the next two races and must perform flawlessly. A mistake is not insurmountable for Verstappen, although of course he should not drop out. For both Max and Lewis, a dropout will be disastrous in the battle for the world title.
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Verstappen strong on new circuits
It is already clear that Verstappen and Hamilton are great drivers. This weekend we will land on a brand new track and a lot has changed in Abu Dhabi as well. On the street circuit in Jeddah, the walls are terribly close to the track, while the speeds are almost constantly very high.
A mistake will therefore be in a small corner and only the very best will gain the most milleseconds there by sitting as close to the walls as possible. In Abu Dhabi, it’s also about getting the drivers back to normal as soon as possible up to speed are on the updated layout.
At Red Bull people trust that Max Verstappen can make the difference on the new circuits. “Max is fast in any car. It doesn’t matter what you give him, after one lap he is up to speed,” said Marko.
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Verstappen historically strong on street circuits and in Abu Dhabi
A new circuit is scheduled for next weekend. In the streets of Jeddah, the drivers battle each other and the walls at high speed. It is a circuit where the big boys can distinguish themselves from the smaller players.
Undoubtedly, both Lewis and Max are among those big boys, but they can do good business in the battle for the title by winning there. This year, Verstappen has twice been supreme on street circuits. In Monaco this resulted in a signed victory, while Hamilton struggled enormously with his Mercedes W12. In Azerbaijan, Hamilton was trumped in the race by the Dutchman, who eventually retired due to a blowout.
In Abu Dhabi, Verstappen has also become stronger and stronger over the years. He has been on the podium several times and last year the Yas Marina circuit was even one of his two victories. He did that without too much opposition from the Mercedes men, whom he managed to keep behind.
It gives Marko faith: “We believe in Verstappen’s qualities on the street circuits. In Monaco he won and in Baku he dominated before his unfortunate tire blowout. In Saudi Arabia, the driver will once again be able to make the difference,” said the driver. Red Bull advisor.
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Verstappen car more reliable than Hamilton’s
In recent weeks and months there has been no problem at Red Bull-Honda. Maybe just a floundering rear wing here and there, but nothing that could cause a breakdown.
At Mercedes, on the other hand, it’s a completely different story. One motor after another has to be replaced. Although Hamilton’s power source in Brazil was very fast, its power will decrease during the last two races, Red Bull believes.
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Verstappen always first, or second
And then there is the consistency of Mr Verstappen. Because if he wasn’t hit by bad luck, or damage, he’d just be first or second. Even when he had a grid penalty in Russia for a new engine. Only once did he finish second behind Bottas and not Hamilton: at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Anyway, in the next two weeks he cannot finish behind Hamilton twice, because then he is not a champion. It does show that the Dutchman is extremely constant. Hamilton has finished outside the top two a few times this season. In Monaco (seventh), Austria (fourth) and Turkey (fifth).
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Verstappen mentally very strong
Verstappen’s mental toughness is enormous. The Red Bull driver does not give up and has been sober all year. Even if he takes a hit next weekend, a week later in Abu Dhabi he will be there again during the last race of the year.
And even if he doesn’t win the world title, we certainly won’t have heard the last from Verstappen. Then he will be back next season, as strong as ever. Whether Hamilton also handles setbacks so well, that remains to be seen.
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History in favor of Verstappen
Of course, it’s just statistics, but where everyone is saying that Hamilton has almost won the title, that is certainly not the case. Assuming no engines pop, Verstappen has a statistical advantage. Looking at the history books, the driver who led the championship with two races to go won in fourteen out of seventeen cases.
That is good news for the Dutchman, although there is a caveat to this. The lead has never been so small (even if we convert old points systems to the current one) with two races to go. So exciting. We can’t wait.
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Verstappen is certainly not without a chance against Hamilton
What can Verstappen do during the new Saudi Arabian GP? Will we get another dominant performance from Lewis Hamilton? And how is Red Bull vs. Mercedes further? This and much more in the RacingNews365 F1 podcast, with Tom Coronel, Ruud Dimmers and host Joris Mosterdijk.
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