Lammers: 'Wouldn't surprise me if Verstappen was still reeling from that'
- GPblog.com
Jan Lammers would not be surprised if Max Verstappen was a little upset that the extra World Championship point for the fastest lap of the day went to Lewis Hamilton. The Dutch analyst also suggests that Nyck de Vries might be a better choice than Alexander Albon due to his growth potential, although he also knows that the former Red Bull Racing driver has shown great things in Formula 1.
"Of course, we talk about the focus a lot, but it also won't surprise me if he has thought: shit, I don't have the fastest lap and so leave a point," Lammers said in the podcast of the NOS about Verstappen. "That is top sport, you don't leave anything behind and you want to take everything. That's something he then thinks it's a shame he wasn't able to pull that off."
Valtteri Bottas has been confirmed at Alfa Romeo and so George Russell will join Mercedes. At Williams there is a vacancy and possibly Antonio Giovinazzi will leave the Alfa Romeo team as well. It seems almost certain that either Alexander Albon or Nyck de Vries will promote to Formula 1 in 2022.
De Vries or Albon?
However, the question is whose value to a race stable is greater at the moment? "I think Albon is being considered because obviously they have learned from Gasly, who also drove fantastic yesterday. Maybe they [Red Bull] overreacted a little bit with the dismissal of Albon," said Lammers, who therefore sees other teams from the premier class of motorsport perhaps still having a lot of faith in Albon.
The sporting director of the DutchGP also points out that Albon already has 38 GP-starts behind his name. Maybe that is why De Vries has more potential. "Nyck has shown in Formula 2 and Formula E that he knows how to win championships. I would say, just like with a stock on the stock market, that Nyck would be a fantastic choice. I'm not one to speculate, but I hope Nyck becomes one, because he would deserve it."