On Sunday, Max Verstappen struck another blow in the Formula 1 World Championship. The Red Bull driver was master of his own team’s track for the second time in a week and remains at the forefront of the championship.
This season, the Dutchman has performed insanely well. He has emerged as the winner of four of the last five races, giving him a comfortable 32-point lead over title rival Lewis Hamilton so far.
It was a bad day for the Briton, who had a number of setbacks throughout the race and finished fourth, behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas and compatriot Lando Norris.
Verstappen’s dominant performance and, above all, consistency makes us wonder whether Hamilton’s hopes of winning his eighth title are in jeopardy.
The Hasselt-born driver had little difficulty in maintaining control of the race, sparking the euphoria and excitement of the thousands of Dutch fans who saw him win this Austrian Grand Prix.
In the first part of the race, Verstappen pulled away from his rivals. At the same time, in the opening laps, Hamilton and Norris were locked in a battle for second place.
After 20 laps, Hamilton left Norris behind and was 10 seconds behind Vettel. It looked like he would get a second place, but floor damage caused him to lose valuable seconds.