F1 news: Max Verstappen is locked into his toughest streak in years
While Max Verstappen won the victory during the Sprint F1 race at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, he only managed a fourth place in the main event on Sunday. Verstappen started in P4 when the lights died, and although he gave him all the efforts to continue Charles Leclerc in the last rounds of the race, this effort was short, and Verstappen was left to watch a celebration of podium grand prix without him for the third consecutive race.
Something that has not happened in his career since he became champion of F1 pilots.
After having finished second in the Grand Prix of Canada in June, Verstappen has now become three grand-grandfights in the finishing prize among the first three, for the first time in his career since 2019. Verstappen was eliminated from the Austrian Grand Prix on the opening round after the Kimi Antonelli recruit, then finished Finth in the British Grand Prix.
Factor in fourth place at Spa, and you have three great prices outside the Top three.
The last time Verstappen returned in 2019, starting with the Russian Grand Prix.
Yes, during a race that is no longer on the calendar.
Verstappen finished fourth in this race, behind the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, as well as the Ferrari Leclerc. Then during the next race, the Grand Prix of Japan, Verstappen retired after 14 laps due to damage that his RB15 suffered in a collision in opening with Leclerc.
During the next race, the Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen captured pole position and started at the front of the peloton. But contact with Hamilton on the opening lap dropped the two pilots on the ground. Then, on 4, Verstappen attempted an overtaking of bottas, taking in contact with its Mercedes on the collar, which subjected a rear tire perforated from Verstappen.
However, Verstappen’s tire did not completely deflate until it passes the entrance on the lane of the stands. He tried to tighten around the whole circuit with a deflant tire, which finally got out, forcing it to finish the knees with three tires.
When he returned from his stop at the stand, he was in P20, 30 seconds behind Romain Grosjean in 19th place.
But Verstappen made a one -shop strategy for him, making his way through the estate as other drivers, including his teammate Alexander Albon, made several stops. When Daniel Ricciardo opposed the Tour 50, Verstappen inherited the sixth place, where he would eventually finish.
Of course, many pilots on the grid would love to have a sequence of three races “below” like this, with a pair of results among the first six or its current race with a pair of results among the first five, but that could well speak of the brilliance of Verstappen in the past six seasons.
For those who wonder, Verstappen returned to the podium in the next race, the 2019 United States Grand Prix, where he finished third. He closed his 2019 season with a victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix and a second place in the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi.
Will he secure three consecutive podiums in the next three races?
This quest starts this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
