Max Verstappen expects Mercedes to be able to make it more difficult for Red Bull Racing this weekend than in recent races. The German racing stable starts with updates to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which usually suits Mercedes better than Red Bull anyway. That makes it difficult for Verstappen to estimate what the proportions will be.
After four world titles in a row, things are currently a bit more difficult for Hamilton and his team Mercedes. Red Bull Racing leads the constructors’ championship and Hamilton is 32 points behind World Cup leader Verstappen after nine races. At the Austrian Grand Prix, he started the race fourth, but fought his way into second by passing Lando Norris after Sergio Pérez relapsed due to a visit to the gravel pit. Shortly after his first pit stop, however, he suffered damage to the floor of his car and partly because of this, Hamilton eventually only crossed the line in fourth. It meant another disappointment for Mercedes the Briton, who saw Verstappen win again.
Will updates help Mercedes?
Despite the good flow that Verstappen has now got, he expects Mercedes and Hamilton to hit back this weekend. The reigning constructors’ world champion has already announced that it has come to Silverstone with updates, so it is not inconceivable that the gap to Red Bull will narrow, Verstappen also knows. “They bring upgrades, so if they work, I naturally think they will be closer. I expect that we will be competitive ourselves, but it is difficult to say where we will end,” the Limburger looks ahead at the press conference in the run-up to the race weekend.
Verstappen undiminished sober
“We are very focused and are just ready for a new race weekend,” continues Verstappen. “We’re happy with the last few races but we’re always looking for things we can do better and that’s what we’ll be doing again this weekend,” said the Red Bull driver, who spent the weekend at Silverstone, known as a ‘Mercedes circuit’, does not see as an important test for his team. “We’ve had good tests before, so it’s just another weekend trying to win. If we can do it, we’ll do it and if we can’t, we’ll finish somewhere else,” Verstappen remains sober.
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