Hamilton and Verstappen compared: 'Max is doing just fine here'

In both the first and second free practice sessions Lewis Hamilton conceded four tenths to Max Verstappen. That's according to the final timesheet, but the seven-time world champion showed he can indeed be faster.

Verstappen just about right

Officially, the fastest time of the day was set by Verstappen with a time of 1:05.412, but Hamilton initially set a faster time of 1:05.335. However, this time was chalked off due to track limits being exceeded in turn ten. "Max is doing just fine here," Anthony Davidson analysed the Dutchman's lap for Sky Sports F1.

Small differences

The F1 analyst saw only minor differences between the two title contenders. "Coming out of turn number three, Verstappen has a small advantage, Hamilton seems to have problems with traction. At turn four Max has a moment of oversteer on entry, allowing Lewis to make the better run through the corner here. As a result, he creates a small lead."

Verstappen, according to Davidson, struggled with traffic a few corners later. "Lewis gets another better run through to turn nine here, so a bit of traffic did cost him some time." So the numbers one and two in the championship seem to be very evenly matched in Austria, which - also given the chances of rain this weekend - could well make for an exciting qualifying session.