'Verstappen should know the rules and that has cost him a point'

In the battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton it is clear after three Grands Prix that every point counts. This also makes it more important for the top teams that the single point for the fastest race lap goes to one of the two rivals. In Portimao, Verstappen seemed to have set the fastest lap in the final lap, but that time was taken away from him by track limits.

"The battle for the championship will be so exciting that every point counts. That is why Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez all went for that one point for the fastest race lap," explains Karun Chandhok in his analysis at Sky Sports. When he compares the images of Bottas and Verstappen, he sees clear differences.

Verstappen should know rules

"In the first corner they were both very fast, but Max uses a much wider line towards the third corner. All weekend he was the driver who put the focus on the exit there, but he did it differently now. He now put the focus on the exit of turn four." Verstappen eventually lost his fastest race lap by going too wide in turn fourteen, losing contact with the kerbstones.

"You can clearly see he's outside the track limits. Bottas is very safe in there. It was unfortunate for Max that he didn't realise they changed that between Friday and Saturday, but that's part of his job too. He has to know the rules and that has now cost him a championship point," Chandhok concluded.