As was expected from the duel between the Red Bull and the Mercedes, it delivered. But instead of the duel being between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, it was the other Red Bull, that of Sergio Perez.

A poor start meant Verstappen was on the back foot right from the get-go and Hamilton pulled clear. This led to Red Bull, who were already in a compromised situation, to bring Verstappen in and put him on hard tires. And this is exactly what Mercedes did with Hamilton a few moments later, so Verstappen had to catch up.

Because of this, Perez was in the lead, with the job of holding Hamilton so that his teammate can make up the time. And boy, what a job he did.

Perez held up Hamilton for at least a lap and a half, making life incredibly difficult for the Briton. This led to Verstappen closing the gap between him and Hamilton from 8 seconds to under 2 seconds.

And deservedly, he got a mention from his championship hopeful teammate who said, “Checo is a legend man!”

Something which resonated in the Red Bull pit wall as well – “Absolute animal.”

Of course, Lewis Hamilton wasn’t impressed by the Mexican’s driving as he let his team know what he thought of the Mexican’s resolute defence. Hamilton said, “That’s some dangerous driving man.”

Max Verstappen may need a miracle against Hamilton

The Dutchman got to the worst possible start he could’ve imagined as Hamilton reacted quicker than him off the line.

So Verstappen, who was already in a compromised position because of starting on softs, was now playing catch up to an incredibly quick Mercedes. So far, it’s looking like Hamilton will be uncatchable for Verstappen.

Regardless, the Red Bull driver will be prepared to give it as good a try as he can until the very end. Perhaps we could see an aggressive double stop strategy from Red Bull.

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But, it’s the pace of Lewis Hamilton that is looking insurmountable this evening in the biggest race in both his and Max Verstappen’s careers so far.

Also Read: Why Wasn’t Lewis Hamilton Asked to Give 1st Position Back to Verstappen Despite Red Bull’s Protests in Abu Dhabi?