Hamilton gets respect: 'Most complete driver in the field'

Mercedes hoped last Sunday during the Russian Grand Prix to increase the lead of Lewis Hamilton on Max Verstappen as much as possible but failed to do so. The German racing team saw the Dutchman finish in second position, meaning Hamilton will have to work hard in the coming races.

Hamilton and his team were obviously not happy with Verstappen's performance after the race, as Ralf Schumacher also saw. "If you listened to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Sunday, they were very disappointed that Max could still drive on P2. That's why it would have been better for Mercedes if it hadn't rained. Then Hamilton would have been second, but the gap to Verstappen would have remained bigger," he writes in his column on Sky Sport Deutschland.

Schumacher is not surprised that Hamilton is still competing for the prizes. The Briton is of a high level according to him. "Lewis is currently the most complete driver in the field. He has a lot of experience and works closely with the team. When it matters in qualifying or in the race, he can call on his performance flawlessly."

Battle continues at Turkey GP

In two weeks' time, the Grand Prix of Turkey is on the programme. Then Verstappen hopes to regain the lead in the world championship.