“My feeling is that it will be Verstappen”

When asked which of the two drivers (Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton) will finally win after 22 Grands Prix, Van Amersfoort answers: “My feeling is that it will be Max after all. Max is sitting on a cloud right now. Despite all the technology, all the money, everything that happens in motorsport, motorsport is still a sport, with exclamation marks.

Verstappen on a cloud

French fries counters GPblog.com explains what he means by that by comparing it with what he sees happening from time to time with his own team. “I see a Max who is currently in top form. It makes the difference. I’ve seen this in the past, that if a talented boy is at his peak at one point, he’s just a little bit faster than the competition. We have also seen this with Verstappen in the United States.

The 24-year-old Dutchman appears to have been in great shape all season. Of all the races he has managed to complete, he has failed only once in the top two. It was in Hungary, when Valtteri Bottas damaged Verstappen’s RB16B initially to such an extent that a P9 turned out to be the maximum achievable.

However, the difference with Hamilton is “only” twelve points in the World Cup. “We certainly shouldn’t write off Lewis, let alone underestimate him. “ said Van Amersfoort, who made a small comment. “If you’ve been world champion so many times and you’re already such a big one in the hierarchy and the history of the sport, then I can imagine that those last two hundredths of a second are sometimes missing.”

Russell as a competitor in 2022?

In 2022, Verstappen could have a contender in the battle for the world title. The changing Bottas is then replaced at Mercedes by George Russell. The young Briton has shown several times this season that he has the speed to fight in the lead, but can he also show it for an entire season and how long will it take him to get used to the Mercedes? next year?

“I think he already showed what he can do last year. I think Valtteri is a very good driver as well, but he may have had his best years. I think it’s commendable that George has an opportunity and I think he’s taking it with both hands. “ The pressure is of course much higher than the last three seasons at Williams. “He’ll have to deal with that as well. It’s up to him to decide then. “

The first part of Frits van Amersfoort’s interview on Van Amersfoort Racing’s return to Formula 3 was published on Wednesday. Read it here!