Palmer Reveals Reason for Changing His Stance on Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen F1 Battle

There is no denying that Max Verstappen had a strong outing at the Turkish Grand Prix, seeing the chequered flag in P2, and also reclaiming his lead in the championship. And on the other hand, there was Lewis Hamilton, who was enduring a contrasting weekend at Istanbul Park.

Starting from P11, the Briton only managed to secure P5, thanks to the strategy mishap. Nevertheless, former Renault F1 driver, Jolyon Palmer, has his eye on the 7-time world champion. Palmer reckoned that Turkey is a worrying sign for Verstappen in his title fight with Hamilton.

What did Palmer say?

As reported by Marca, Palmer felt that Verstappen was hardly a match to Valtteri Bottas, who finished the race over 10s ahead of the Dutchman. Hence, such a feisty pace is not going to keep Verstappen in the game against the surging Hamilton.

Formula One F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton crash out of the race REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini 

“You know what, for the first time this season I’m starting to think that maybe Lewis is the main favorite,” he said. “In fact, I think Verstappen can’t be happy about his career in Turkey.

“Yes, he achieved second place and has the championship lead, but he was no match for Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton, if he had from pole, that’s where he would be. He qualified, he would have won just as easily,” Palmer added.

Where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton could target big points

The Brion opined that the upcoming three race weekends, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, could be falling into Red Bull and Verstappen’s strengths. Interestingly, he also reckoned the races in the middle-east could have Hamilton dominate all the way.

“I think the United States, Mexico, and Sao Paulo could be better for Red Bull, but frankly I think the last three in the Middle East could be better for Mercedes,” he said.

Formula One F1 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – July 31, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton bumps fists with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position and third place respectively Pool via REUTERS/David W Cerny

Overall, the championship battle is already looking intense, but it is all set to get much more nerve-racking in the coming weeks, as we head closer to the showdown in Abu Dhabi.

But, again, only one question remains – Who is grabbing onto that championship trophy? Lewis Hamilton or his newly arrived rival, Max Verstappen?

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