MOTORSPORT
VERSTAPPEN’S COLD SUMMER
Six pages of news, insight and opinion from the world of motor racing
Red Bull ace has been in the wars – but he’s still the F1 title favourite
Damien Smith
Verstappen was one of many whose race was ruined by Bottas
RACING LINES
“ A gain taken out by a Mercedes,” quipped Max Verstappen in the wake of his difficult Hungarian Grand Prix, which began with a bang in the worst possible sense, due to Valtteri Bottas sailing past his braking point.
At turn one, the calamitous Finn ran into the back of fast-starting Lando Norris, who was then powerless to stop his McLaren slamming into Verstappen, while Bottas also clobbered the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.
From then on, Verstappen was exaggerating only slightly when he said he was “missing the whole side of my car”. In the circumstances, ninth place and a couple of points represented a decent salvage job as F1 headed into its summer shutdown.