Verstappen's frame of reference in title battle: 'Hamilton has set the benchmark'

With three Grand Prix now behind us, it looks like a tense battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has finally erupted this season. An analysis from Formula 1 journalist Chris Medland suggests that the smallest of moments will be decisive this year, and that in light of this Max Verstappen still has some homework to do.

"We could quite conceivably be sitting here now with Hamilton having won all three races or Verstappen taking a hat-trick, but as neither driver has produced perfection the wins are split," Medland begins in Motorsport Magazine.

"Yet it’s Hamilton who has come closer to it more often, and that’s the standard Verstappen has to hit," Medland said. The Formula 1 pundit specifically cited the track limits incident in Bahrain, as well as Verstappen's cancelled fastest lap in Portugal, as examples of relatively minor flaws that will see harsh consequences for the title battle.

"It’s brilliant that such small moments will potentially play a pivotal role in the outcome of this season’s championship," Medland also knows. "It shows just how close things are between Hamilton and Verstappen, and how both need to be striving for perfection to come out on top. That’s exactly how a drivers’ championship battle should be."