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Verstappen seriously shakes Hamilton’s reign

Max Verstappen celebrates his victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. / EP

Analysis

The Dutchman’s victory in Mexico showed that both he and Red Bull reach the final match of the championship in better condition than the reigning champions.

The difference between a favorite and a world title candidate in Formula 1 is clear. Mathematically, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the only ones with options to lift the trophy between now and the end of the season, which makes them, therefore, candidates. However, the shortlist of favorites is reduced to just one person.

With four races to spare to end the season with more tests in history, until they are passed in 2022, Verstappen has a small cushion of 19 points that far from allowing him to settle. Both he and Hamilton can still add 107 points if they win the four remaining appointments, add four fastest laps and next Saturday at Interlagos they get the victory in the sprint classification. A failure, a breakdown, an accident or any other setback and the Dutchman’s margin will be reduced or widened.

Whatever happens, to this day Verstappen is the clear favorite and not just by what the numbers dictate. What was seen throughout the weekend in Mexico was a show of force by Red Bull, even despite Saturday’s blunder in which they were outmatched by Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. The Finn’s lead in the race lasted just a few meters, which has earned him open criticism from the seven-time champion himself and Toto Wolff, who accused him of not properly defending the attack outside Verstappen in the first corner of the circuit. Bottas, ousted from Mercedes to take the promising George Russell in his place, owes them nothing once his destiny is tied to that of Alfa Romeo.

Soft spot

The weakness of the ’77’ in the defense of the first position did not come as any surprise, and less in a circuit where still no ‘poleman’ has managed to get on the podium. More worrying was the pace displayed by Hamilton. Verstappen escaped without palliative, with no possibility of the seven-time champion attacking him at any time. In a race with little action, the Dutchman had to pass by waving through the tumultuous Foro Sol to the thousands of Mexican fans who cheered him at every step. All the speed shown on Saturday was gone by Sunday, and that’s more of a surprise for Mercedes.

Accustomed to sweeping weekends and weekends as well, in the Anglo-German squad they have discovered in 2021 that Red Bull passes their hand as soon as they have a car up to par. Every time they have had to face strategic races, in which the only possibility to attack was through decisions in the pits, they have bitten the dust. At the Hermanos Rodríguez it was again clear: Hamilton entered ten laps before Pérez to make the only pit stop and ended up looking more in the rear-view mirrors than pressing Verstappen.

Verstappen pays tribute to Hamilton with no options

To measure the advantage that Red Bull had this weekend we must not only see the pace of Verstappen, but rather that of ‘Checo’ Pérez. The driver who drove thousands of fans crazy (if he had possibly won today there would be talk of tumults, seen how a third place was celebrated) pressed Hamilton to the extreme. “I gave absolutely everything, but his car has been very superior during this weekend and we have not been able to do anything. When you have Checo behind you, you know that his car is fast, ”analyzed Hamilton. And it is that at the height of 1,200 meters, the Honda engines worked like a charm: for example, the fourth place of Pierre Gasly with an AlphaTauri unattainable for both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc throughout the race.

Although there is hope for Hamilton fans and the ship has not capsized, the signs of exhaustion from his project are remarkable. A plan that has worked for them for seven years and that can still be extended another before the great regulatory change of 2022, which eventually aims to even the tables. If they want to be triumphant again, they have no choice but to go on the attack in the four remaining dates and, given what has been seen, Verstappen is not going to give an inch because he is too close to the Sun not to continue flying towards him … even if the wings burn on the way.

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