SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 13 hrs 1 min
Upcoming predictions and previews

Lewis Hamilton ready for Max Verstappen battle

:Headline: Lewis Hamilton ready for Max Verstappen battle: ID:409715: from db_amp
Verstappen won at Silverstone on Sunday to close the gap.

Lewis Hamilton has told Max Verstappen he is up for the world championship fight after the Red Bull driver delivered a shock win at Sunday's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Verstappen is now Hamilton's closest rival for a record-equalling seventh title after the 12/1 outsider took advantage of Mercedes' tyre woes to cruise to the chequered flag at Silverstone.

Mercedes have been the class of the Formula One field this season – and were expected to race away to a fifth triumph from as many rounds after they locked out the front row.

But Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished second and third after the perfect storm of hot track temperatures and softer tyre compounds worked against their all-black machinery, and into the hands of the masterful Verstappen.

"I definitely will not overlook them. We will keep a close eye on them. It's not going to be easy by any means. I don't think my team has that mentality anyway. And maybe in the future we will get to have a bit more of a race."

A week after Hamilton limped over the line on three wheels following a last-lap puncture, tyres again took centre stage at a deserted Silverstone.

Pole-sitter Bottas beat Hamilton to the opening bend – but the Mercedes duo were chewing through their rubber at an alarming rate to provide Verstappen, who started fourth, with the sniff of victory.

After he blasted past Racing Point's Nico Hulkenberg off the line, Verstappen set about hunting down the Mercedes duo. At one stage, his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, told him to drop off Hamilton's car to protect his tyres.

"This is the only chance to beat Mercedes," he yelled over the radio. "I am not going to sit back like a grandma."

Verstappen remained true to his word. He took the lead after the struggling Mercedes pair pitted for fresh tyres – and was then on Bottas' gearbox after making his first stop on lap 26.

Verstappen needed just a handful of corners to bat Bottas aside, overcoming the Finn's mediocre defence before making the race-winning move stick on the exit of Luffield.

He crossed the line 11.3 seconds clear of Hamilton, who, on a different strategy, passed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with seven laps to run and then Bottas with two to go, to salvage the runner-up spot and his 155th career podium – a record he now shares with Schumacher.

So comfortable was Verstappen's win that on the last lap he found time to remind Lambiase to use hand sanitiser before the imminent celebrations.

“This is the only chance to beat Mercedes. I am not going to sit back like a grandma”
- Max Verstappen

Responding to the "grandma" radio remark, Verstappen said: "I hate sitting back, so when I saw the opportunity to put a bit of pressure on I wanted to do that.

"Sometimes it can be suicide by killing the tyres, but that wasn't the case today. It is an incredible result to win here and we just had a great day."

Leclerc performed well to make a one-stopper work en route to fourth, but team-mate Sebastian Vettel's torrid season continued.

Vettel, who is being moved on by Ferrari at the end of this year, spun on the first lap, blasted his team over the radio for a decision on strategy, and crossed the line in 12th. He is 13th in the championship with just 10 points to his name.

amp_article__409715 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-08-09 18:39:53:
html db last update - 2020-08-09 18:39:53 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Max Verstappen

Click here for more stories about Mercedes

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .