F1 News

Verstappen: "Our lead is bigger than it should be"

25 July 2022 at 20:21
Last update 25 July 2022 at 21:21
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  • GPblog.com

Max Verstappen's lead in the championship is considerable, but not comfortable. Indeed, the Dutchman sounds tense and warns that it will not be easy to remain the leader. After all, Verstappen brings with him experience from the heated battle of 2021.

Verstappen is 63 points ahead of title rival Charles Leclerc after the French Grand Prix. The proportions have completely reversed; after the race in Australia the Red Bull Racing driver was still 46 points behind Leclerc. The fact that Verstappen now leads the championship by so much does not reassure him, but rather puts him on edge. Speedweek.com quotes de Limburger: "We have to stick to our plan and get as many points as possible every race."

Verstappen not confident of lead over Ferrari

Every point is worth its weight in gold now that the season is over halfway through. Red Bull Racing also enjoys a comfortable lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, but not necessarily because they are the stronger team on track. Verstappen and Red Bull have been able to take advantage of chaos and blunders by the Italians. If Ferrari can get things right for a few races in a row, they could be back in contention for the title in no time. Verstappen does not expect to have much of a chance against the strong Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman is preparing for that: "Even in races where things are not going optimally for us, we have to keep the damage limited."

Verstappen concludes, "Of course our lead is considerable, but the lead is also larger than it should actually be if you look at the performance of the two cars." Not only is this year's turnaround in the standings an example of how quickly things can change, but last year's battle between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen is still fresh in the Red Bull driver's mind. Verstappen lost a large lead and was overtaken by Hamilton midway through the season.