Impressive mental strength Verstappen: 'Subconsciously does something to a person'

After victories in Belgium and the Netherlands Max Verstappen is now top of the championship with seven wins. He now has a three-point lead over his rival Lewis Hamilton and that will make for an exciting battle in the coming races, according to former Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Battle continues until end of season

In the program Sports & Talk on ServusTV, Hulkenberg makes no secret of his admiration for Verstappen. "Max has shown that he can fight for the world championship," the German tells us. "Mercedes tried everything to get Max. They played with all their options. They will not admit defeat. The fight will continue at Monza and I suspect he will continue until the end of the season."

The battle between Hamilton and Verstappen has been a close one all season and Hulkenberg believes it will remain so. "It's a battle between equals. There are different circuits of course and I think the next two races in Monza and Sotchi might suit Mercedes a bit more - those are motor tracks. It will be about who makes fewer mistakes. Any decision could tip the scales."

Mental strength Verstappen

On the atmosphere at Zandvoort last weekend, Hulkenberg is very complimentary. "It was gigantic. Holland is a small country and they know how to handle events. They did a great job."

The stands at Zandvoort were full of fans of Verstappen and Hulkenberg thinks it is clever how the Dutchman dealt with it. "Hats off to Max. He sees every day how many people come for him. Subconsciously that does something to a person, but it was impressive how Max was able to block it."