Home/F1
feature-image

via Reuters

feature-image

via Reuters

With Mercedes dominating the last seven years in Formula One, very few might have predicted Red Bull would be where they are this season. However, the Austrian outfit have six wins in nine races so far, and comfortably lead both championships.

After an intense triple header concluded with the Austrian Grand Prix, former F1 driver Damon Hill believes Red Bull are yet to unleash their full potential.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Damon Hill believes Red Bull have not revealed their complete capabilities

Max Verstappen completed a hat-trick of victories with a dominant performance in Red Bull’s home race. Despite stopping for fresh tires twice, the Dutchman finished 17s ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and took the fastest lap of the race.

While his title rival Lewis Hamilton finished P4, Verstappen’s 26-point haul increased his lead to 32 points in the driver’s championship. The 23-year-old and his Red Bull are clearly the ones to beat this season, a point which Hill made.

article-image

via Reuters

Appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, the former Williams driver believes the team are a class apart at the moment. He said, “He’s [Max] in another class but so is the team. That car is absolutely brilliant.”

He also admitted that the Austrian outfit are yet to reveal the true strength of their package. He said, “I thought Red Bull are getting to the point now where they’re not showing their hand or their advantage unless it’s absolutely necessary. And their advantage in the race was huge. He just could fit in another pit stop over Mercedes.”

READ MORE: Who Owns the Red Bull F1 Team?

Hill points out how they came close to a one-two in qualifying despite Lando Norris’ flying lap

The 1996 F1 world champion used Red Bull’s qualifying to sum up how good Sergio Perez is getting with their lightning quick car. “He actually, very nearly missed out on pole position. Because Lando, if you looked back at the replay back with Karun [Chandhok] showing exactly where they were in relation to each other, Lando was ahead for most of the lap except for the last corner.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“Lando said, ‘Well that was because their car is better.’ So, Max was able to get the last corner right and actually gave him a huge advantage. What he’s saying is he drove better than Max did, but Max actually said he didn’t think it was a particularly good lap.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

With the next race in Silverstone, Verstappen looks a much stronger candidate to win the British Grand Prix than ever before. However, with the race being Lewis Hamilton’s home race, expect a mouth-watering clash on July 18.

WATCH STORY: Mad Max: Verstappen’s Angriest Rants on Team Radio

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT