'When the championship will be wrapped up, almost not down to Verstappen'

According to Priestley, Verstappen now has the ideal mix of attributes, including experience and maturity. "This championship’s heading his way, almost no doubt about that now, and he thoroughly deserves it," the former McLaren mechanic says in the BBC Chequered Flag podcast.

Verstappen does not have only himself to thank for that, however. Priestley emphasises that Ferrari's mistakes have also enabled the Dutchman to build up a large lead in the championship. Charles Leclerc has already made two driver errors, while at Ferrari the strategic choices and reliability of the engine are not yet in order. Mercedes have also been unable to make things difficult for the Red Bull Racing driver due to car problems.

Verstappen ahead thanks to competition

"I think what’s interesting about this championship is Max is running away with it, but it’s not reflective of his performance over and above his competitors. He doesn’t have a car that is that much dominant over the Ferraris or even the Mercedes now, who seem to be coming back on form a little bit. He’s got that lead because his main competitors keep failing when they keep getting it right. And so the answer to the question of when the championship will be wrapped up, it’s almost not down to Max Verstappen, it’s down to everyone else," Priestley says.

In the driver's championship Verstappen has a lead of no less than eighty points, while Red Bull is 97 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructor's championship. It will be a tough task for Leclerc to win the title without mistakes from Verstappen and his team.