“Tiger Within Still Snarls When Prodded” – Top F1 Journalist Chimes on Verstappen-Hamilton US GP Controversy

Max Verstappen showed on Sunday that he is ready to win the championship in the 2021 season. He held off the pressure from 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The Red Bull driver won the race by a margin of 1.3 seconds and on 11 laps worn tires.

He did not panic and strategically won the race by keeping Hamilton out of the DRS range. But F1 Journalist David Tremayne mentioned that the Dutch driver has the tendency to lose control of his emotions.

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F1 Journalist points out a chink in Max Verstappen and his title claim

As reported by Formula1.com, in his column, Tremayne pointed out that despite being cool under pressure, Verstappen can lose it sometimes. Although these ‘Mad Max’ moments have been far and few between this season, it does sometimes highlight that Max probably looks to get more out of his car than his arch rival.

But his performance in Austin is certainly a step in the right direction. Tremayne also praised his performance in COTA.

“Proof yet again that a once sometimes hot-headed racer has matured into a serious World Championship contender. Though an incident in practice on Friday afternoon revealed that the tiger within still snarls when prodded,” said David.

“The convention is that the car behind usually waits its turn when it’s clear the driver in front is looking for a clear lap. But Lewis wasn’t waiting, and when he slipped ahead on the pit straight and obliged Max to wait for another lap, the latter was clearly unhappy. Out poked his middle finger from the cockpit, and soon he was sulking in the pits.

And though that digital incident raised whether such occasional outbursts might yet jeopardize his campaign when things get tight in the five races that remain, I suspect that it’s not one of Max’s fingers that concerns Lewis right now.” said Tremayne.

The incident is a throwback to Max’s angrier days when he would lose his cool easily. But if he could maintain his composure, he is a sure bet to take away the title this season in the eyes of most fans.

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