'Feeling like you were in the right doesn't help your points balance'

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are battling it out for the world title in Formula 1 this season, and it's causing a lot of excitement. Edd Straw sums up in his column for Racer the first half of this battle and looks forward to the rest of the season.

For the first time in years, we have a battle between two drivers from two different teams for the world title. The last time we had such an exciting duel was when Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso fought for the title in 2010 and 2012. Now it's Hamilton and Verstappen. A seven-time world champion and the big promise.

Incident at Silverstone

Straw is particularly curious about the role played by the incident at Silverstone, once the championship has concluded. ''Verstappen has rightly been lauded for his aggressive passes, but how he would react to being on the receiving end was an interesting question. While the accident was certainly far more Hamilton’s fault than Verstappen’s, he did have the option to back out and bank the points to consolidate his position. Sometimes, a champion has to make that choice, because feeling you were in the right doesn’t help your points balance or repair your car,'' said the British journalist.

''But who will prevail? It’s impossible to say. It’s probably a question that both Verstappen and Hamilton ask themselves about the moment that is likely to come where they are very much playing the opponent rather than the situation. That’s what a great world championship battle is all about, and given both are superb drivers it should be a spectacular sight. They will test each other again, dare each other to back down when the stakes are at their highest, and it will be spectacular to watch.''

Verstappen is ready for it

Actually, this duel has been looked forward to for years, because from the moment Verstappen stepped into the Red Bull, people were wondering how he would compare to Hamilton. It was the same the other way around. How would Hamilton fare in a duel with Verstappen? This year we will finally find out.

''We’ve learned a lot about both drivers, whether it’s the established all-time great or the pretender to the throne. Chief among those learnings is that Hamilton has lost none of his fight and fire and that Verstappen is absolutely ready to win a world championship. But they can’t both win, which is what makes this battle between the irresistible force and immovable object so glorious,'' Straw concludes.