{"id":1381290,"date":"2021-07-04T18:05:01","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T22:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1381290"},"modified":"2021-07-04T18:05:02","modified_gmt":"2021-07-04T22:05:02","slug":"max-verstappen-brutal-honesty-helps-explain-why-eclipsed-lewis-hamilton-formula-1-best-driver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/max-verstappen-brutal-honesty-helps-explain-why-eclipsed-lewis-hamilton-formula-1-best-driver\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen\u2019s Brutal Honesty Helps Explain Why He Has Eclipsed Lewis Hamilton as Formula 1\u2019s Best Driver"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lewis Hamilton<\/a> might not be done winning World Drivers\u2019 Championships, but it\u2019s increasingly apparent that Red Bull Racing has caught up to Mercedes, meaning Max Verstappen is within reach of his first season championship on motorsports<\/a>‘ biggest stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Red Bull formula includes constant communication \u2013 and it\u2019s sometimes blunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI cannot always be super-polite and nice; that\u2019s not how I work,\u201d Verstappen told The Guardian recently. \u201cYou need to be hard on each other, especially in tougher times or when you are not happy with certain things. It works both ways. They tell me, I tell them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou should be able to be criticized and take criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max Verstappen continued his magic season at the Austrian GP<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Race
Race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and second-place finisher Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes talk at the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring. | Clive Rose\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Verstappen led start to finish at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving him three Formula 1 victories in 15 days, the last two coming on his team\u2019s home track, the Red Bull Ring. The combination of car and driver was so dominating that Verstappen was able to stop late for fresh tires to make a successful run at turning the day\u2019s fastest lap to pick up a bonus point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That stretched his lead over Hamilton, the seven-time champion, to 182-150 through nine races. There are 14 stops to go before the season winds down in December in Abu Dhabi, but his fifth victory in 2021 was further evidence that Red Bull has overcome Mercedes\u2019 longstanding technological advantage in the world\u2019s most glamorous racing series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had he not cut a tire while in command in the closing moments at the Azerbaijan GP, Verstappen would be riding a five-race winning streak headed to the British Grand Prix on July 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max Verstappen\u2019s brutal honesty has been a key to his Formula 1 success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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