Dutchman could win drivers’ title at Sunday’s Saudi Arabian GP – though Lewis Hamilton will have something to say about thatThere is an aura of calm around Max Verstappen that, intriguingly, completely belies the intensity of his Formula One world championship title fight with Lewis Hamilton. It is this composed ability to deal with pressure, to recover from setbacks and find peak performance time after time, that has put him within striking distance of his first title, one which he could claim at Sunday’s debut Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.Yet alongside this maturity, this mental fortitude, there is also a boyish, eager thrill at simply being in the fight and it has been an infectious joy. A combination that he also...
Mastering a ‘diva’ of a car demanded fresh application – and the battle with Max Verstappen is the most enthralling in yearsFor Lewis Hamilton the 2021 Formula One title race has been like no other. As it enters the final decisive phase, the world champion is in position to pull off perhaps the greatest achievement of his career. His fight with Max Verstappen has been an unmissable affair, but what has caught the eye is how Hamilton has fought to drag this mighty tussle into an enthralling endgame.Two races remain, with the first 20 yielding no clear advantage for either driver. A season that has ebbed and flowed between them, punctuated by brilliance, bad luck, conflict and drama, has seen...
Formula One finally has the title fight it has craved, with neither driver prepared to give an inch as they head to MexicoFormula One finally has the title fight it has craved, with blow and counter-blow. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are locked in a rivalry as gripping as some of the great head-to-heads and the intensity of a thrilling championship is set only to ramp up as Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix heralds a potentially nail-biting run-in to close the season.Hamilton and Verstappen have had two serious clashes this year, both life-threatening. Despite the risks, it is clear neither is going to yield any time soon in the heat of competition between two such singular and determined drivers. Continue reading...
This season’s F1 championship has produced a fascinating fight to the wire and it would be foolish to predict the final outcome Formula One is a sport defined by tiny margins, yet for years has not enjoyed a championship as closely competitive as this season’s mighty head-to-head between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Their duel is entering the endgame which will be as fiercely fought as it is difficult to call. So well-matched are the two drivers and their rides that nerveless, flawless execution will be imperative. Five races remain and they are no place for the faint-hearted.F1 is revelling in a season such as it has not enjoyed since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014. Hamilton’s Mercedes team has...
World champion’s mental robustness was unmistakable in a thrilling Hungary GP and should stand him in good steadLewis Hamilton was left in no doubt he had put in a shift at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Visibly exhausted on the podium after his comeback from last place to third, the world champion had been through the wringer at the Hungaroring on Sunday. Yet the race and the weekend demonstrated his real strength is beyond crude physicality.In Budapest, his mental robustness and composure, born of experience and maturity, were unmistakable. In what is shaping up to be a mighty scrap with Max Verstappen, it is brains not brawn that gives Hamilton the edge. Related: Lewis Hamilton backs Sebastian Vettel after F1 body’s...