F1 title race poised for fiery finish ahead of Saudi Arabian GP
The tension between two of modern motorsport's fiercest rivals is rising heading into the penultimate race on the F1 calendar in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen enters the weekend with a narrow eight point lead in the driver standings from seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Despite Verstappen's consistent podiums, Mercedes' golden boy has all the momentum after earning consecutive race wins in Brazil and Qatar.
In a title race that's had everything from dramatic last laps to fiery crashes, the final chapter of what's been an epic duel shouldn't disappoint.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this race is the fact this will be the first time the Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosts an F1 Grand Prix. Pundits can postulate whether or not the Saudi circuit will be better suited to Red Bull or Mercedes all they like, but ultimately, until things get underway in FP1 on Friday, there isn't enough data to make any concrete assertions.
The performances of the Honda powered Red Bull and the Mercedes have been up and down all year, ebbing and flowing from once race to the next. Just two races ago it seemed clear the Red Bull was the faster car, but suddenly, as a six-time consecutive constructor champion team is apt to do, Mercedes found some more performance and appears to have regained the ascendency.
Supposedly 79% of the Jeddah lap will be at full throttle which suits the lower-drag Mercedes, however, the one kilometre back straight and high speed corners of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin was supposed to suit Mercedes and we all know how that turned out.
Further, everyone tipped the many medium-speed and long radius corners of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar to suit the high-rake Red Bull, but again, tipsters were proven wrong.
Ultimately, although on paper it appears the super-fast street circuit should suit the Mercedes, nothing can be said for certain after what's been such a close season; with the tightness of the drivers championship it's easy to forget the constructors championship is also on a knifes-edge as Mercedes is just five points ahead of Red Bull.
So what's left to determine the winner of this dogfight? Well, the drivers of course.
Lewis Hamilton has the experience, the momentum and the storyline. He's won five of the last six drivers championships, including four in a row. Until Hamilton loses, he should be everyone's pick to win.
His previous two races, particularly in Brazil, showed exactly why the Briton can not be cast aside. Mercedes boss Toto Wolf recently said Lewis has activated his "superpowers" and honestly, after seeing what he did in Brazil, superpowers are perhaps the most reasonable explanation for his latest out-of-this-world performances. Whichever way you want to describe the champion's comeback, one thing is for sure, Lewis thrives with his back against the wall.
On Wednesday, Hamilton told the media if he was able to secure this year's drivers championship, it would be his greatest ever achievement.
"If I get the job done, I think it will [be], yes," he said.
"No one has ever been able to fight for an eighth, aside from Michael [Schumacher]. It is a new position, uncharted territory."
Coming from a man with seven championships, 102 poles and 102 race wins, it's clear what this title fight means to him.
Max on the other hand, he's the youngster who finally has a title-contending car underneath him. This season has quickly become his to lose and up until the recent triple header which saw a string of results go Hamilton's way, it looked as if the championship belonged to Super Max.
One thing Max has been all year is confident, his level of self-believe and belief in his Red Bull team has been unwavering - at least until recently.
Verstappen said to the media earlier this week: "hopefully, it will be an exciting weekend and hopefully, we will be competitive. But it's too early to say anything about it."
"I'll do it like I've been doing it all season. Nothing changes. It's a new circuit, we have to get to know it first. I'm just concentrating on the weekend and trying to be as competitive as possible."
Despite all the tension, you can guarantee Max won't go down without a fight, but with Lewis in his rear view (or potentially the other way around), its critical the young dutchman holds his nerve under pressure in these final two races.
It's worth noting Verstappen could win the championship on Sunday, although it seems unlikely.
Here's how he needs things to play out - Max wins the title if:
- He wins and gets fastest lap and Lewis finishes sixth or lower;
- He wins and Lewis finishes seventh or lower;
- He comes second and Lewis fails to score
Your move Jeddah.
