Palmer: "After the failure of Verstappen, Mercedes knew they were going to win"

Max Verstappen had a dramatic weekend (again) in Mugello. Before the race, everything seemed to indicate that the Dutchman could take on Mercedes during the race. However, even before the race started the driver of Red Bull Racing already had problems and during the start those problems became painfully visible. Verstappen fell far back and ended up in the gravel pit of turn two.

According to Jolyon Palmer it is a big disappointment that Verstappen could not show the true potential of the Red Bull. "He was probably able to fight with Mercedes. It was a real pity that he didn't really show anything in the race. There were certainly opportunities for him in the race today. We had three new starts and he was strong there".

"I even think he could have taken the lead in the first round, because he really got off to a very fast start. When he dropped out it was very easy for Mercedes. They knew no one else could really be a danger to them," explains Palmer in the BBC-podcast. He also wonders whether Valtteri Bottas can fight Lewis Hamilton, because once again the Finn was not a threat to Hamilton's victory.

"Did Bottas ever catch up with Hamilton when they were on the same strategy? I really can't imagine a moment where Bottas managed to overtake Hamilton on the same strategy," explains Palmer. "Don't get me wrong, he's a fast driver and really gets the best out of himself and Lewis on Saturday, but on Sunday he's still behind his teammate," Bottas concludes.