Formula 1 Managing Director Ross Brawn says Max Verstappen is proving his potential “in spades” but has warned to not yet rule out Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.
Hamilton headed Verstappen by 14 points after victory in Spain in May but Red Bull has since won five successive grands prix, with Verstappen victorious on four occasions.
Hamilton now trails Verstappen by 32 points while Mercedes is 44 points down on Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
It is the biggest deficit Hamilton has faced against a non-Mercedes driver since 2014.
“Right now, things aren’t going well for Lewis but he’s been through this before, albeit it maybe not for some time,” Brawn wrote in his usual post-race column. “He is used to tough battles.
“This year is unusual in that the teams can’t respond in a normal way for several reasons. One is that we have the cost cap now, so they can’t just throw resource at the problem. Secondly, we have the new car coming in next year, which they will be pretty committed to, so it’s a bit of a dilemma for the team as they probably can’t afford to deliver a very strong response in the way they normally would do.
“Before the cost cap, you would throw resource at it. These are the elements of the rule changes that have been made, which are significant and slightly unseen and I think the rule changes will lead to stronger championships in the future.
“The title is still reachable for Hamilton and Mercedes. These races have been pretty much dominated by Red Bull, but I will be amazed if that continues at every track.”
Brawn was nonetheless effusive over the recent performance displayed by title leader Verstappen.
“Max is in a really great place right now,” he said. “He’s working well with his Red Bull team and you can see there is a real harmony there.
“Red Bull have a strong car and everything is coming together. I’ve said before in this column that we always thought he was world champion material and now he is proving it in spades.”
