Despite Mercedes having a faster car, Max Verstappen defeated Hamilton

Mercedes presently has the fastest car in Formula One, but Max Verstappen’s sheer speed has made the Red Bull RB16B look more competitive.

According to Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel, Verstappen is “ready” to win a World Championship, and he has heaped praise on him.

“The man could have really done it, but the car has to be able to do it as well,” Coronel said this week.

“Now you see that the competition with the car is just there. Actually I think the Mercedes is the faster car, so it is Max who makes the difference. Just look at [Sergio] Perez, he’s still not getting there.”

When asked if he believes Red Bull’s success this year is due to their fast car or purely to Verstappen’s talent, Coronel said it’s a mix of the two.

“It’s a combination. You can see that Max feels and smells championship opportunities.

“Then you see that he really makes that step. How he drives, how smart he is and the calm he has. He’s ready for it and it should be able to work,” he concluded.

Verstappen is presently eight points behind Sir Lewis Hamilton, with the seven-time World Champion taking advantage of the two bad weekends for the Dutch at Silverstone and Hungary to retake the position in the Drivers’ Standings.

Red Bull is now 12 points behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.

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