VIDEO | Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen: A real title battle?

We were treated to another barnstorming race at Imola at the weekend and it has left the title battle nicely poised despite the season being only two races old. Max Verstappen got a well-earned victory whilst Lewis Hamilton surged back to secure second but all over the field there were different storylines. In part two of our debrief we will recap the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and look at why we have a serious title battle on our hands but why Lewis Hamilton is still the standard.

The race

The weekend at Imola arrived after a long three week wait. The Bahrain Grand Prix which opened the season felt like an age ago but by the time we got racing it was like we’d never been away. Mercedes set the standard on Friday with Valtteri Bottas topping the timesheets in both FP1 and FP2. Max Verstappen was never far behind however, and there was always a feeling that the Red Bull had more to give. And in FP3 exactly that happened, Verstappen topped the final session before things ramped up a notch in qualifying.

Yuki Tsunoda crashed which put him plum last with both Williams putting in impressive shifts to make it to Q2. Q2 was quite standard with Fernando Alonso aruably the biggest loser as he qualified 15th, outperformed by his teammate Ocon who would make Q3. In the final session Lewis Hamilton as he has done so often before led the way with Sergio Perez putting his Red Bull in second to the surprise of even himself. Verstappen was third but Valtteri Bottas was all the way back in eighth. 

Raceday and it was Max Verstappen who stamped his authority on the race, pulling away in second gear he stormed in front of Hamilton into the first turn and never really looked back. Hamilton would have a close call when trying to lap George Russell he almost sent his car into the wall. He survived and was gifted a lifeline when Russell and Bottas had a huge crash and the race was red flagged, but that’s a subject for a whole other video. From eighth Hamilton surged through the field, picking off drivers, with Norris his last victim in the closing stages as he eventually finished second. Meanwhile Verstappen comfortably drove to victory on a chaotic day in F1 and we’ve not even mentioned the Miami announcement. 

Debrief

If it wasn’t clear already, we have a serious title battle on our hands. Max Verstappen has been the standout performer in the standout car over the last two races, yet he still finds himself second, after Hamilton picked up a fastest lap bonus point. However, Mercedes are having to work harder than ever, never in their era of dominance has a season been so tightly poised, even in Hamilton’s duals with Vettel in 17 and 18 he was always favourite, this really feels like it could go either way. Valtteri Bottas had an absolute stinker in Italy but it is still quite clear he is more comfortable in that Mercedes than Perez is in the Red Bull. Things were looking up for the Mexican after quali but his race performance left a lot to be desired so you would say the Silver Arrows hold that advantage. Red Bull still seem to be quicker, at least Max Verstappen does but Mercedes will keep growing so Red Bull need to keep moving forward, how much more do they have to give? 

And then there’s Hamilton, regardless of what happened on the day, it is clear he is still the man. Yes he may have got lucky with the red flag but you have to make your own luck, and if it wasn’t for his mistake lapping Russell, we could well be sat here talking about yet another Hamilton win. The way he came back from eighth to finish second against some cars which were having good weekends was classic Hamilton, as soon as he got passed Stroll there was never any doubt, certainly not in my mind anyway. Hamilton is still leading the World Championship, and that’s with Max Verstappen being in such brilliant form in a faster car, it is quite frankly remarkable.

So the season is set up perfectly, next up Portugal and Portimao and if last year’s race is anything to go by we are in for a treat.