With wins over consecutive races, Red Bull Racing has stolen a march over the Mercedes Petronas team on the F1 leaderboard.
The concern has arisen due to the vastly improved (and consistent) challenge from Styrian F1 (Formula One) winner Max Verstappen. He has usurped the Englishman Hamilton, to now sit comfortably at the top of the leaderboard.
Unfamiliar ground you might say, as the once indomitable Lewis Hamilton seemingly always placing his Mercedes between Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing Honda team, and any sight of a possible championship. Now, that view is unimpeded and if the Dutchman can hold that place, then by the season end the competition for this season’s F1 trophy might hold fans’ attention.
With 8 of 22 races completed, the halfway mark is approaching faster than a hairpin corner, and from Red Bull through to the ‘still competitive Ferrari Scuderia’ anything could happen in Austria next, before Silverstone and a place where Lewis Hamilton has broken the hearts of competitors in the past.
Yet in 2021, the team-first policy of Red Bull seems to have created strong momentum.
A 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 effort! 🏆 Congrats to everyone at the track and back at the factory 👏 #StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #ChargeOn 🤘 pic.twitter.com/0ftgFOPKu0
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 27, 2021
Red Bull Racing steal a march over Mercedes Petronos on leaderboard
Victory for Verstappen was his fourth of the season, and the first time in his F1 career that he’d claimed back-to-back grand prix. He now stands 18 points clear in the drivers’ championship after eight rounds.
His engine and chassis are in sequence, with the driver’s care of his tyres hailed was heralded by observers. Speed Cafe quoted Verstappen as saying post-race, “It was today like they couldn’t keep up with me in terms of pace. If you have that little bit extra of pace, you can manage your lap times a bit more and that just helps these tyres a lot to the end because they’re super sensitive.
“In terms of sliding, locking, whatever, they overheat super quick, so it’s all about management at the end.”
Knowing the Red Bull Ring so well, the Dutchman was in his element. Hamilton could not keep up with the pace, and required one additional stop to retain his place on the podium. Noticeably, the demeanor of the reigning champion was dampened as he and the Mercedes AMG Petronas team could see their opponent extending a march in the driver’s standings.
“Clearly, we had a good car this weekend and of course I hope that we will continue this form to next week,” Verstappen told media.
2021 Driver Standings after#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/hLscEUbvsK via @F1
— Edwin Dianto Young ST, ML (@edwindianto) June 28, 2021
With the Austrian Grand Prix to be raced again at the Red Bull Ring, the assumption is that Max Verstappen’s Honda will hold form. Winning, and winning well would reinforce both his confidence as well as the gap between first and second. Points difference has only been a factor in 2016 and 2017. Then, Nico Rosberg won his last championship by a mere five points, whereas in 2016 Lewis Hamilton began his recent sweep of titles with a 46 point advantage.
Win again in Austria, fifth win in consecutive races, would be phenomenal for the Red Bull Racing Honda driver. Yet if Mercedes can reverse the order; be it Hamilton or
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