F1 News: Max Verstappen’s Perfect Driving Leads To Second Consecutive Victory

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen continues his hold on the lead for the Formula One drivers’ championship.

The 23-year-old Dutch driver held pole position and was never in danger of losing the spot throughout the Styrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen took control of the field as soon as the race started, all thanks to a clean start that saw him keep Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton from even getting close.

He beat Hamilton by more than 35 seconds.

By winning his second-straight Grand Prix, the young Dutchman has extended his lead over the seven-time world champion, 156-138.

“Straight away, I felt the good balance in the car and it was good to manage the tires basically from the start. I felt like also until the end I always had tires left. They pitted one lap earlier than us, we reacted to that and we just kept on going, trying to hit our lap times, and that worked really well today,” said Verstappen as he reacted to his win.

“It’s very positive but of course, we have to show it again next week. We’ll definitely have a look at what we can do better, but I’m looking forward to next week.”

With the seemingly unbeatable Mercedes team losing out on a first-place finish for the fourth race in a row, they may have to rework their strategies in about a week’s time.

“I was giving it absolutely everything. I don’t really know where they were gaining all the speed but I think it was everywhere in general but particularly on the straights as far as I’m aware, so they’ve definitely made some big steps over the last couple of races and we’ve not really got an answer for it,” said Hamilton.

The podium was rounded out by Mercedes’ Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at second and third place respectively.

Teams will be reconvening at the Red Bull Ring next weekend for the Austrian Grand Prix.

With the short turnaround time, Hamilton implies that the next race will be more of the same.

“We’ve not bought any upgrades. I don’t remember the last time we brought an upgrade, but they have; they’ve clearly brought the engine upgrade and they’ve brought some other part of the package and It’s just eked them ahead,” said Hamilton.

Of course, the champion is keeping a level head going into next week and has full confidence in his team’s ability to make a change in their strategy.

With Verstappen coming out as the supposed title favorite thanks to this win, Mercedes and Hamilton have their work cut out for them next weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix.