Max Verstappen doesn't "believe in momentum swings" in Hamilton title fight

Red Bull

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Verstappen doesn't "believe in momentum swings" in Hamilton title fight

Just six points separate the title challengers with six races to go

Ewan Gale

Wednesday 20 October 2021 12:35

Max Verstappen has insisted he doesn't "believe in momentum swings" ahead of the championship run-in with Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bull driver leads Hamilton by six points with six races to go, starting with this weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, a stronghold for the Mercedes driver with five wins since the track joined F1 in 2012.

Verstappen's lead came after securing second in Turkey last time out with Hamilton only fifth, whilst Red Bull enjoyed a double-podium behind the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

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Asked which team held the momentum into the final rounds of the season, Verstappen replied: "I don't really believe in momentum swings, we always have to nail every aspect of the weekend to optimise our performance, prepare as best we can and if we do that then we can't give anything more as a team.

"We have a very competitive car but you have to compare it to Mercedes and that is always the big question mark going into any race this season.

"Hopefully, we can fight them this weekend and keep the lead in the championship.

"Every single week there are new challenges which we must overcome and this one will be no different, a lot of things can happen in a race, so we will focus on ourselves and no one else."

COTA bumps add to excitement - Verstappen

In the lead up to this weekend's visit to the Circuit of the Americas, the FIA indicated a smoothing out of bumps would take place after MotoGP riders complained about the "dangerous" nature of the track surface.

Verstappen, however, suggested the bumps were a positive and said: "The layout of the track at COTA is really cool, the surface being bumpy, because it is built on a swamp, adds to the excitement of the race as well.

"The first sector is very enjoyable, with a lot of fast corners, especially in qualifying when you go on low fuel.

"When you are racing going into sector two and the beginning of sector three, there are a lot of different lines you can take, so this track normally creates a lot of action and overtakes.

"Then away from being a great track, there is always a great atmosphere and a great crowd so that helps."