What if Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen maximised their chances?

This year in Formula One has seen the closest title battle in years, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen locked in an intense fight for the Drivers’ Championship.

The pair have been the class of the field this year, and deservedly are right at the top of the standings. Verstappen has taken five victories, while Hamilton has four, but it’s the Brit who is currently leading the Championship by eight points. So, we’re taking a look at three key races that could’ve changed the course of the championship. Of course, every race is important, and this is sort of guess work, but how could the title fight have looked?

The three races in question are: Baku, Silverstone and Hungary.

BAKU

We start in Azerbaijan at the Baku City Circuit, a race in which neither Verstappen or Hamilton scored a single point. 

Cast your mind back to June, and it was Red Bull dominance. Verstappen had won in Monaco, which set off a run of five consecutive Red Bull race wins. However, in Baku, it was Sergio Perez, not Max Verstappen who took victory.

The Dutchman suffered a tyre blowout, just like Lance Stroll earlier in the race, which cost him victory. He was in the lead with just a handful of laps remaining when the incident occurred, with Perez in second, and Hamilton in third.

The Dutchman was in total control around the street circuit, and that race would’ve added 26 points to Verstappen’s total as he also held the fastest lap before he hit the wall. 

Hamilton, on the other hand, would’ve scored 15 points if Verstappen hadn’t crashed. However, he should’ve bagged 25 for the race win after the red flag restart. After the marshals had cleared away Verstappen’s Red Bull, Hamilton had an excellent launch off the line and nudged ahead of Perez, but he famously touched his brake magic button heading into the first corner. He locked up, missed the corner and eventually finished down in 15th.

SILVERSTONE

Next up is that incident at Silverstone. The blame was placed on Hamilton and if the Brit had backed out, then Verstappen surely would’ve driven into the sunset.

The seven-time world champion knew that his best bet at jumping his title rival was on the opening lap, and if he hadn’t dove inside at Copse Corner, Verstappen most likely would’ve taken victory.

It would’ve left Hamilton in second, losing further ground on the Dutchman, and ensured Red Bull won yet another race.

HUNGARY

Last, but not least, it’s the most recent race; the Hungarian Grand Prix. After qualifying in third, Verstappen, like many others, jumped Bottas at the start, before he was wiped out by Lando Norris, who had no chance of avoiding contact after the Mercedes driver shunted into him.If Bottas had simply avoided the McLaren into turn one, then Verstappen would’ve been able to score more than two points, achieved while driving half a car.

However, Mercedes looked quicker in Hungary, so it’s unlikely he’d score victory, instead finishing P2. 

On the other hand, Hamilton really should’ve won the race, and had he pitted like everyone else after the formation lap before the restart, victory would’ve been his. A huge tactical error by Mercedes that could prove vital in this close title fight. Considering the turn one incident, Hamilton should’ve maximised his advantage over Verstappen even further.

So, those are three of the key races that could have major implications on the title race. These mistakes, or strokes of bad luck, have, as always, made an impact this year, and it’ll be interesting how fatal they could be, come the season finale in Abu Dhabi.