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Max Verstappen says Lewis Hamilton's late-race charge to victory at the Hungaroring on Sunday shows how dominant the Mercedes team remains.
Hamilton followed Verstappen in second place for much of the race, before opting to pit for a fresh set of medium tyres with 22 laps to go.
The Briton rapidly closed the gap and passed the Red Bull driver with just under four laps left to run.
MORE: Horner defends decision not to pit Verstappen amid Hamilton battle
Despite winning two of the last four races, Verstappen believes that Mercedes is still firmly the strongest team in the 2019 championship.
"I think then you can see how much margin they have when they really need to push," Verstappen said.
"I think Lewis today was on fire as well, but then you see, once he really has to go for it you can see that that car is still the dominant car, it’s as simple as that.
"Whereas in some races it’s not as necessary. Of course, they had their issues in Austria with overheating so you can’t push. In Hockenheim, it was tricky conditions as well so you can’t really drive to the limit of the car.
"But here today I think he had to go for it flat out, because I was also pushing flat out and then you can see what they are capable of as a team."
Verstappen added that Red Bull and Honda will be bringing updates to some of the upcoming races, which he hopes will allow it to stay as close as possible to Mercedes.
"I think there are a few tracks coming up that are maybe not as ideal for us, but of course we know we have some updates coming soon to the car and the engine, so hopefully that will again bring us closer. We’ll find out then."
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Replies (2)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Oh please Max you too with the games? Yes, Mercedes is dominant in most tracks. But at least not in Hungaroring. Everyone saw that.
Pistonhead
Posts: 556
He's heir apparent to Hamilton, Hamilton's retirement will leave a void and he has the talent to be that person. Right now I think Hamilton remains next level, the level the others are trying to reach, I wonder how long he will keep the edge, motivation, sharp eye, fast reactions, ultimately desire...? If he does win this championship, he will surely do at least one more season to draw level with the legend himself. Similar story in tennis - Nadal, Federer and Djokovich will clear up the majors for a couple more years despite the newcomers threatening for a few years now - they just aren't able to operate at the pinnacle week in week out, its a special era we are in now and would be made more special if RBR could provide Max with a decent car week in week out to challenge.