Verstappen shows character in Imola: 'He handled the circumstances brilliantly'

With the win of Max Verstappen in Imola Lewis Hamilton and the Dutchman are almost equal in the championship. The difference between the two drivers is one point because Hamilton set the fastest lap in Imola. The duel between the Red Bull Racing driver and the Mercedes driver seems to have only just begun.

Mark Hughes of The Race sees that too and makes the comparison with Bahrain, where Red Bull was fastest in qualifying and Mercedes managed to win the race. "This time it was almost a precise inversion of the opening round: Hamilton made the great pole lap, Verstappen the mistake and on race day it was Verstappen who was flawless in victory, Hamilton who over-reached. It was as if they’d swapped roles from three weeks ago."

Verstappen in control

Verstappen got away well at the start this time and was able to place his car right next to Hamilton's. He let his car run to the exit kerb, which sent Hamilton off track. From that point, Hamilton saw his main rival pull away from his Mercedes.

"We got an unpredictable race and Verstappen managed to deal with that brilliantly. He was completely in control, outside of a couple of moments where things could have just gone wrong," Hughes referring to the restart after the red flag, where Verstappen almost lost his car heading into the final corner."Hamilton leads the championship by the margin of that fastest lap point. But he has a battle on his hands."