Verstappen big concern for Hamilton: 'Normally he doesn't take those risks'

The second round of the 2021 championship also meant the second round between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman crossed the finish line first this time around, guaranteeing a long-running title fight between the two drivers, expects Jolyon Palmer.

The former F1 driver saw Hamilton make mistakes and Verstappen take full advantage of them. "Apart from what happened during Hamilton's crash, it's also the mindset of a driver. You know the risks when you drive on the wet. He now felt it was worth taking those risks, to put pressure on the race leader, his biggest rival," Palmer explained in his column on Formula1.com.

Risk did not pay off

He saw Verstappen holding back more compared to the chasing Hamilton. "He was acting cautiously, but he did lose time compared to the Mercedes driver as a result. Hamilton undoubtedly saw that the gap was narrowing and was trying to keep the pressure on and so he took a risk that didn't pay off."

"That's something we haven't seen from Hamilton for years because he's only really had competition this year. If Lewis was in the lead, or chasing Bottas, he wouldn't have taken those risks. But he knows that the danger in Verstappen will be the biggest one so far in his time at Mercedes."

Title battle gets more exciting

After Hamilton's mistake, the reigning world champion fell back to ninth place, but the red flag allowed for a catch-up race and he eventually finished second with the fastest race lap. "I'm sure Max was bummed about that, knowing he was on the edge of the top ten at the red flag. Now the title fight does remain neck and neck and the tension keeps rising," Palmer concluded.