Can Verstappen resist Hamilton’s late surge and get his Red Bull over the line?
The Hindu
The 24-year-old enters the Saudi Arabian GP knowing he has a shot at sealing his maiden world title. But Mercedes has upgraded its performance over the season and now has the faster car, with two rounds to go. What’s more, Jeddah’s high-speed layout should suit it better this weekend
Ever since Max Verstappen began karting at the age of four, his entire life path was carefully charted out to get him to this point — fighting for the Formula One drivers’ championship.
And on Sunday, with the F1 circus in Jeddah for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen, for the first time in his career, will enter a race knowing he can seal his maiden title.
With an eight-point lead, he needs to outscore rival Lewis Hamilton by 18 points. That way, even if Hamilton scores 26 points (25 for a win + 1 for fastest lap) in Abu Dhabi’s season finale, Verstappen, with more race wins, will be crowned champion on countback.