Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing speaks with third placed qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 12, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen says if he and Mercedes counterpart Lewis Hamilton were to race each other in the same car, he would be quicker.
Verstappen had led much of Sunday s Azerbaijan Grand Prix before a dramatic tyre failure, and a crash at almost 200mp/h ended his afternoon just a few laps from the end.
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For the first time in his career, Max Verstappen has held his lead in the Drivers’ Championship over those around him and it looks like this could be his year for glory. Despite crashing out in Baku, his four-point lead over his Mercedes rival was kept intact for another race. With two wins under his belt already and Red Bull leading in the Constructors’ Championship as well, this season couldn’t have started any better for the Dutchman.
Verstappen has been in the Formula 1 limelight for many of the seasons past and has finally managed to claim the hope and belief of critics and everyone within the sport. F1’s youngest ever competitor has made a name for himself and seven seasons in, the 23-year-old has 12 race wins to his name and counting.
Lewis Hamilton was looking good for second place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the very least as he lined up in that position on the grid for the Lap 50 restart – before he locked up at Turn 1 and sailed past race leader Sergio Perez down an escape road and out of the points entirely.