'In the hands of Verstappen, Red Bull clearly runs into Mercedes'

It was a tough Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing in Portugal. On the one hand the Max Verstappen in qualifying is getting closer and closer to Mercedes, but on the other hand Alexander Albon seems to be sinking further and further away.

''Every race Max has finished this year, he finished on the podium and also in Portugal he easily finished in P3. He just didn't have the pace to fight for victory with Mercedes and that was partly due to his start on the red tyre. However, it is clear that Red Bull in the hands of Verstappen is closing the gap on Mercedes and a second place in the championship is still achievable. That would be a huge achievement," says Lawrence Barretto in his column for Formula1.com.

Albon on the seesaw

However, the journalist also looks at the other side of the garage, where Albon will be under pressure this weekend in Imola to secure his spot at Red Bull. In Portugal, however, he was half a second behind in qualifying, and was lapped by Verstappen on his way to P12..

''Albon had a lot of trouble getting a result. Where Verstappen scored his ninth podium, Albon couldn't do better than 12th place and is only one point ahead of Pierre Gasly, the driver he replaced. Albon really needs a better qualifying session to make it easier for himself in the race," Barretto concludes.