Max Verstappen is known as a driver who is not easily swayed. Even during his home race at Zandvoort, the young Dutchman did not succumb to the pressure on his shoulders. However, that coolness can also have a setback, according to Norbert Haug, former sport director of Mercedes.
With a lead of nineteen points over Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen is heading well into the final four races of the season. Haug believes that this lead is very pleasing on the one hand, but also carries dangers. "The more signals speak in your favour at any given time, the greater the pressure becomes," he told Motorsport-Total.com. "Verstappen is a cool dog, but at some point, the coolness can have a setback."
According to Haug, there have been plenty of drivers in the past who eventually succumbed to the pressure. "The coolest drivers have experienced that - Hamilton has experienced that, Raikkonen, Alonso." However, Haug does not want to claim that this will also be the case with Verstappen. "I don't make assumptions or predictions. The omens are good, but the reality can be very different."
"I'm sure the vast majority of more neutral fans are saying, 'No more chance for Hamilton.' But I see it differently," Haug said of Verstappen's title chances. "Not out of old tradition, but because I know what the team and the driver are capable of. You certainly shouldn't discount the motivated striker Hamilton and a motivated team. Besides, Red Bull can also throw away points, even with a superior car and a better strategy."
everything to play for.nothing to be taken for granted on both the camps.unless mathematically its over,you cant be relaxed
Mathematically, if you stick up the front tyre against the other cars' rear tyre, the chance of getting more points = equal to.....
"Red Bull can also throw away points, even with a superior car"
First Palmer, now Haug. How many more will it take?
Not read the article. But it must be from kampf Mercedes, not?
Then why comment on it? No-one cares if you read it or not.
I can see why you would want to shy away from an article like that.
And 'kampf' means 'struggle', not camp.
"You certainly shouldn't discount the motivated striker Hamilton"
Interesting choice of the word "striker" given the results in Silverstone...
Interesting that you interpreted it that way.
Not surprising though. You have a certain way to think and that's what guides your thoughts no matter how wide of the mark.
Interesting also , especially after what Max did in Monza.
I believe most of the folks that are from the U.S. and are older dont interpret the word "striker" as most European folks do which is to relate the word with football (soccer) offensive side of the ball scoring.
I dont think, nor did I at the time, that Silverstone was any of Max's fault. Lewis, who is supposed to be so great missed the apex by more than a meter when he has made that same corner to the centimeter hundreds, if not it thousands of times.
As for Monza, I'd put equal blame on both. Max was on the outside into the corner, which would has been the inside the next. Neither driver gave quarter.
Again just my opinion which, in your opinion, is "wide of the mark".
People can see the same event but come to different conclusions on what happened based on past events.
For example:
Two people in a boat.
Both end up in the water.
The first person, who can't swim, comes away from the 'traumatic' event thinking...
I recall the time I almost drowned!
The second person recalls it while laughing as..
I remember when i had to swim ashore.
Same event with two different perspectives eh?
Your so blindly biased it's unreal.
You sound like Horner. If something is Lewis' fault then attack with both barrels.
If something is Max's fault then call it 50/50 or a racing incident.
That's how Horner thinks (because he literally said and did those things) and you 're the same.
Monza, in no way in this life, was 50/50.
What an absolutely ludicrous claim.
This is your failing when it comes to objectivity.
You can't see something that is Max's fault and put you hand up and say "yeah ok, he messed up on that one". You don't have that in you do you?
As for 'soccer', screw that. It's football. Because in Europe, the game is played with the feet. Hence the name.
The US version is more handball and if any needs to change it's name it's the US version.
The European version has way more right to be called football. But that's another discussion, but as you brought it up I thought I'd mention that.
Silverstone... missing the apex is not the crux of the matter. Max missed the apex too by even more. Why? Because Lewis was on the inside.
At that speed you don't take and inside line then expect to hit the apex to make the corner.
There was STILL room for both of them around there but Max closed that gap when he turned in leaving so much more room to his left. Max should have taken the widest line he could knowing that Lewis was there on the inside and that the car would naturally need to be taking a wider line than normal too.
But Max didn't think Lewis was still there so he tightened the line. He mis-judged it and the tyres touched. Lewis was naturally blamed as it was he making the move to pass.
Monza (and how many times to I need to keep repeating this BS), was Max attempting a move that was never going to work.
You might suggest that Lewis was doing the same in Silverstone. But yet you will blame Lewis for doing it and not Max.
Max was never in a position in Monza to claim any corner so Lewis did nothing wrong with positioning his car. But Max was coming through regardless of the consequences.
He'd be a f00l to think he'd be in front after that move, especially against Lewis who was naturally going to defend it. Max went for that knowing if it didn't work, they'd both be out and he was fine with that.
So it was therefore a calculated and deliberate move. Move over or we both go out.
Your boat analogy was pointless.
I think I'll copy that Silverstone/Monza text to my clipboard so the next 153 times people bring it up I can just paste it in. Why waste my time when it just falls on biased ears?