Max Verstappen at risk of threat from two F1 rivals as 'only they can stop him'
Max Verstappen is under threat from two Formula 1 rivals who can stop him winning the Brazilian Grand Prix.
That's the view of F1 legend Mika Hakkinen. The Flying Finn, himself a double world champion, knows Verstappen is the favourite to take victory in Sao Paulo. But he is convinced there are two Brits on the grid who can put up a fight against the Dutchman.
"In my opinion there are two drivers who can stop Max Verstappen from winning the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend," he wrote in his Unibet column. "Max is going for win number 17 this season but the way Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris are driving at the moment I think it’s possible they could cause problems for Red Bull.
Hakkinen was particularly impressed with Norris after the way he performed in Mexico last weekend. The McLaren racer finished fifth which is far from his best result of the year, but that was after starting 17th on the grid.
"I thought Lando Norris’s drive in Mexico was one of his very best," wrote the 55-year-old. "After the problem in qualifying he really focused on driving through the field and chasing down a great result.
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"You could tell by watching him that he has total confidence in the car and knows how to get the lap time from it very consistently. He knows Brazil, while it's the first time visiting for team mate Oscar Piastri, but the McLarens are likely to be in the mix for the top six in qualifying. From there, the podium finishes can open up."
He got that prediction spot on for Norris. The Brit is set to start sixth on the grid for the Grand Prix, though Piastri was unfortunate to be in the middle of his flying lap when a storm hit the circuit which limited the Aussie to 10th on the grid.
It was the exact same place that he qualified for the Sprint the following day as well. But Norris did much better to take pole for the short-form race and put himself in a strong position to get the better of Verstappen.
That came as something of a shock to the Brit, who had felt in the car that the lap he put in was not going to be anywhere near good enough to achieve what it did. "Honestly, it felt like one of the worst laps I've done," he declared.
"So I'm a little bit surprised, but it's a good surprise. I feel like we made up for yesterday. It's my first pole in a long time, so I'm happy... It's a great day."
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