Verstappen still the favourite for the title: 'Gave a distorted picture'

The momentum seems to be falling the way of Mercedes after two wins in a row, but Christian Danner still believes Max Verstappen is the favourite for the world title in 2021.

Since Mercedes' updates in Britain and new tyres from Pirelli, Mercedes seems to have got things better. Where Red Bull Racing was the strongest team in the previous races, Mercedes got the upper hand from Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton however did not manage to build up a lead yet and is even behind Verstappen in the standings.

Verstappen still the favourite

''I still see Verstappen as the favourite. The duel between the two is in balance. Turkey was not a normal race, it was a distorted picture. You can't say this is the turnaround now. They will continue to race neck-and-neck, so we won't crown a world champion until Abu Dhabi,'' said the former F1 driver at Sport1.de.

The second drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are essential in the title fight, according to Danner. ''Hamilton was not third by Perez, so that can be important. Bottas won and therefore not Verstappen. It shows that the second drivers play an important role this year and are not just used in upsetting the other strategy. Perez took points away from Hamilton and that's what he's there for,'' the German concluded.