Red Bull driver Max Verstappen seems to have the upper hand over Mercedes Lewis Hamilton in 2021 title fight going into the final five races after emerging from Mercedes’ strongholds in Russia, Turkey and the United States with a 12-point lead. But The Dutchman believes perfecting “the little details” will prove F1 title-defining in his epic battle with Lewis this season.
Up coming races in Mexico and Brazil will be favorable tracks for Red Bull on paper, so for now title race is in Verstappen’s favor.
In an interview with New York Times, when asked about the key defining moments that will split him and Hamilton over the end of the season, Verstappen said:
“First of all, just trying to maximise everything every single weekend.
“Even though you can have the fastest car, you still need to be perfect to beat each other. It’s all about the little details that can make a big difference.
“That’s the general focus of everyone, pit stops, the set-up work, preparation before you go into a weekend, what happens in a race, rain, for example.
“It completely mixes up a grid and the results, in the end, and a lot of things can still happen as well throughout a race.”
Who will fold under pressure in the epic battle between Verstappen and Hamilton
Verstappen thinks he has no doubt that he learned from his on-track incidents with seven-time champion Hamilton this season which has resulted in crashes during the British and Italian Grand Prix.
Believing himself to be a calm person, Verstappen added: “These incidents weren’t great, but what can you do about it? Of course, you analyze everything, but I think as a person, I’ve been the same. I was calm on those occasions as well.
“I always try to do the best I can, but there is no additional pressure. I would say if you have a good car it even takes more pressure away because you just go to a weekend and know that you can have a good result.
“I think that makes me really calm. I guess I have always been like that. I’ve always been pretty much the same person I think.”
