Verstappen seems to be the favourite: 'Red Bull has the faster car'

Verstappen the favourite?

For the first time in years we have a real fight for the world title. Red Bull Racing has finally managed to build a car that allows Verstappen to attack the Mercedes drivers, and it's paying off. The Dutchman is second in the standings and has already won five races.

Asked who they think will eventually win, the answers among the medium's Formula One journalists vary. ''Max, but it will be bloody close'', says Will Buxton, for example. ''Still marginally Verstappen. But it's looking a lot less certain than a few races ago. I think the Red Bull is more often than not going to be the faster car and even though he'll probably be taking an engine penalty somewhere, Verstappen should still be able to overcome that by sheer performance,'' says Mark Hughes.

Hamilton has chances too

Lawrence Barretto and Samarth Kanal, however, think otherwise. ''With Mercedes’ Silverstone upgrade hauling it close to par with Red Bull, we’re in for the closest title fight since 2016. I think it’ll go to the wire with Hamilton just edging it,'' says Barretto. ''It'll be agonisingly close but I think Hamilton will just about beat Verstappen,'' Kanal also says.

However, the majority still opts for Verstappen. Chris Medland points to Max's almost five wins in a row, and the bad luck he has had in the last few races. The same is true for Greg Stuart, who believes that Verstappen will be able to pull away from Hamilton in a couple of races without any problems.