Windsor: 'That's when it became clear to me: Verstappen can handle Hamilton'

In his usual review of the recently finished Grand Prix, Formula 1 journalist and connoisseur Peter Windsor states that it soon became clear that, where both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in their element, the Dutchman could handle the showdown with his rival. He also sees Red Bull's pit stop sequence as the moment that the Dutchman decided this Grand Prix in his favour.

After making a mistake on the opening lap, Verstappen recovered and was soon able to chase Hamilton's Silver Arrow. Windsor saw this as an omen of what would become a spectacular race on the circuit de Paul Ricard: "After lap three it became clear that Verstappen could very much handle lewis. Both drivers were in themselves, trying to save tyres as much as they could, and that it was going to be a very close race between Max and Lewis", Windsor said in an analysis on his YouTube channel.

World performance

It was Verstappen's first pit stop and successful undercut that turned the race around, Windsor observes. He explains: "Verstappen’s pit crew decides to bring him in as early as lap 19. This is an interesting move because Mercedes were looking to bring Lewis in around lap 22/23. Een klassieke undercut."

With his spectacular laps before and after the stop, Verstappen managed to close the three seconds to Hamilton. Windsor also acknowledged the Dutchman's world-class performance in this: "This was a question of Max doing an incredible job on the in-lap and the out-lap, especially with the tyres not being warm. … If you want any moment that won the Grand Prix for Max today, it was those in- and outlaps."