Formula One: Verstappen aspires to strengthen his control in Hungary

Defending Dutch champion Max Verstappen is looking to maintain his total dominance in the Formula One World Championship as he enters the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday at the Hungaroring circuit.

In the penultimate race before the August break for the Formula 1 championship, the 25-year-old Dutch driver aims to strengthen his lead of 99 points over his Mexican teammate, Sergio Perez.

However, Verstappen is fully aware that his chasing pack will be seeking to close the gap, especially after his hard-fought victory in the British Grand Prix against McLaren driver Lando Norris and seven-time world champion and fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton, who finished third.

Both British drivers aspire to achieve additional success on tight and twisty circuits, which also applies to the Hungarian race, a venue where Hamilton has excelled in the past with eight victories on the Hungarian track.

Verstappen said, "It's always an interesting one."

He continued, "Last year, it was difficult to make the right calls with the rain and the low temperatures, but as a team, we remained calm and made the right decisions."

He added, "We made some adjustments at the end of this week, so hopefully, we can achieve what we aim for - to find some extra performance."

With six consecutive victories and eight out of ten races this year, Verstappen seems to be on a fast track to his third consecutive driver's championship title, while Red Bull appears closer than ever to retaining their title in the constructor's category.

Unpredictable System -
On the other hand, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is determined to disrupt Red Bull's progress and would be pleased if he manages to prevent the Dutch driver from increasing his tally of 43 wins.

Wolff said, "We have strengthened our position in the second practice in Silverstone."

He added, "The system changes every weekend. We need to add performance if we want to close the gap and fight for victories."

He further explained, "Many teams have made significant gains recently, which allowed some to fight with us, especially McLaren. It's impressive and encourages us that we can achieve gains as well."

Last year, Mercedes performed well in Hungary, as British driver George Russell started from pole position for the first time, and the team secured two podium finishes.

Wolff stated, "This race also represents a long time since Lewis' first win with us."

He continued, "So, it's a period full of good memories, and we hope to deliver another strong performance. We want to take the fight to our competitors."

Among Red Bull's prominent competitors, Mercedes appears to be the strongest threat heading into the weekend, while McLaren performed well on the high-speed Silverstone circuit.

This may create an opportunity for Aston Martin and Ferrari to regain some lost ground, especially for two-time champion Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, while Alfa Romeo driver Esteban Ocon, the winner of the 2021 race when Alonso was his teammate, urges his team to react after two poor showings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP