F1 News

Max brings out the best in Lewis: "Haven't seen him this aggressive in years"

3 May 2021 at 12:09
Last update 3 May 2021 at 16:22
  • GPblog.com

The title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is as close as it has ever been. On Sunday, the experienced Briton and current world champion prevailed with a victory in Portugal. However, the second-place Verstappen managed to secure in a less than satisfactory weekend for his team meant that the difference in points between the two foes remains minimal.

Mistakes

Where Mercedes normally had a comfortable lead at this point in the championship, it remains nervously tense up until now. The teams are very evenly matched and it is thought that very small mistakes will have a big impact on the title fight.

Jolyon Palmer elaborates on this on the F1: Chequered Flag podcast: "Take the safety car restart. That wasn't really a mistake by Hamilton, Max' restart was just better. Same thing in Imola with the start. Hamilton made no mistake, but Max's was just better. The track limits during Max's qualifying were a mistake though. If he hadn't made that mistake he would have had pole and won the race."

Aggressive Lewis

Palmer is convinced the Dutchman brings out the best in Hamilton: "I haven't seen him so aggressive in years. He is ruthless. You could see that in his overtaking of Max and Bottas. I think that's brilliant to see."