Verstappen got justice: 'Without the Leclerc crash Max would have been on pole'.
- GPblog.com
For the first time in Formula 1 history the championship is led by a Dutch driver. Max Verstappen is now four points ahead of Lewis Hamilton as we head for the next race in Baku.
Justice for Verstappen
Verstappen's win in Monaco was partly due to Charles Leclerc dropping out before the start of the race. However, according to Jan Lammers, this was nothing more than justice for the Dutchman. "Of course it was very unfortunate for Leclerc that he couldn't get to the start, but from a sporting point of view there was a bit of justice," he told Motorsport.com. "Not that he shouldn't be competing at all and scoring zero points, but if Leclerc hadn't had problems at the end of qualifying, Max would have been on pole."
Boost for the confidence
The fact that Verstappen won in Monaco and now leads the world championship, will be a boost for confidence according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, but Lammers sees it slightly differently. "I don't think Max has ever lacked confidence. I think it gives him a bit of peace. He doesn't have to push as much as before. The pressure is now on Mercedes and Hamilton. Although it is certainly not match point yet. We still have too many races to go.
Title chances for Verstappen
For the first time in his career, Verstappen is top of the championship standings, but the big question is whether he can maintain that lead until the end of the season. According to Lammers, his chances are pretty good. "I always say that after Monaco you only have a bit of an idea of the balance of power. Then you've had a number of different circuits and you can say a bit more about it. And this just looks good. But some tracks will suit some teams better than others. In other words, there is still a lot of drama and euphoria coming our way."