© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Häkkinen says the US fans were “given a demonstration of why Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the title contenders at the moment”.
In his Unibet column Mika Häkkinen gave his comment on the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.
“I was really impressed to see how much Formula One is growing in America and the enthusiasm the fans have for our sport,” the Finn wrote.
“They were given a demonstration of why Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the title contenders at the moment.
“Both guys pushing incredibly hard all race, running different two-stop strategies which meant that tyre usage was critical.
“Austin is hard on tyres, even the hard compound tyres need to be looked after, so the sensitivity of the driver is all-important.
“If Max had pushed too hard after his second stop I think Lewis would have had no problem at all in catching him in the final laps, but the Red Bull driver has matured a lot and paced himself perfectly.
“It’s not easy to back off when you know the guy behind is catching you, but saving the tyres was critical.
“After lap 50, when Lewis closed the gap to almost one second, Max managed to push it back open for two or three laps.
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“That was a key moment, and although Lewis kept pushing until the chequered flag he realised Max had timed his strategy perfectly.”
Despite Max increasing his tilte lead to 12 points, Häkkinen is not counting Hamilton out just yet.
“Max now has a 12 point lead over Lewis with five races remaining. While that’s important, a single non-finish caused by an accident or mechanical failure could swing the World Championship one way or the other.
“This is far from over, and both teams and drivers know that.”
The Finn also highlights the important role Verstappen and Hamilton’s team-mates will play in their title-fight.
“Sergio [Perez]’s performance in this next race will again play an important strategic role for Max, but I know that Lewis and Valtteri Bottas remain confident that there will be more opportunities for victories this year.
“It’s a championship that has produced some major surprises and we will certainly see some more before we reach Abu Dhabi in mid-December,” Häkkinen concluded.
