Verstappen predicts new conflicts between Red Bull and Mercedes
Despite Max Verstappen and Red Bull's significant lead in the championship over Mercedes AMG, the reigning World Champion is concerned about a comeback from the German team.
Red Bull suffered its first defeat on its home turf since 2020. Ferrari seems to have regained some top speed, but Max Verstappen’s concern is mainly focused on Mercedes. Indeed, in the recent races, the eight-time World Champion team is in a much better position compared to its difficult start of the year.
Indeed, Mercedes has achieved 4 podium finishes in the last 4 races, and was in a position to win the race at Silverstone, before eventually conceding the first place to Carlos Sainz. Despite a victory in the sprint race in Austria, Red Bull has had two difficult weekends, while Mercedes continues to make progress. Although the German team is far from its level of performance in recent years, the signs are still encouraging.
This situation seems to worry Max Verstappen, who spoke after the race: “They are faster than they were at the beginning of the year, but they still need a little more. They are not bad on a quick lap, but we can easily distance ourselves from them in the race for the moment. It also depends on the circuit, like at Silverstone, where they were very fast in the race. It’s like us and Ferrari. These are small details that can make a difference in the long term.”
Mercedes against Red Bull at the end of the season?
These statements are similar to those of Toto Wolff, who stated that their deficit compared to the frontrunners had been cut in half compared to Bahrain. Despite this, Verstappen hopes that the relationship between the two teams will be better than in 2021. The championship battle last year had escalated tensions between the two rivals, sometimes resulting in collisions, such as at Silverstone or Monza. But this season, things are calmer.
Max Verstappen commented on his rivalry with Mercedes: “We have a lot of mutual respect, last year’s conflict was not really between the drivers, but between the teams. We are not currently fighting with Mercedes at the moment. I think it will be different in our next battle, perhaps towards the end of the season, we’ll see.”
