The 2021 F1 season has been quite intense as both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen refuse to back down in the fight for the title.
The first half of the season saw Verstappen take the lead and extend his points much ahead of Hamilton.
However, in the last two races, Hamilton fought back and regained the lead much to Red Bull’s disappointment.
Despite this, there are reports that the Dutchman is a lot faster than the Brit.
While this is still a topic for debate, does it also apply to the mental battle that the two drivers are having?
Hamilton has won the battle of the minds
According to Lawrence Barretto, a senior writer at Formula 1 seems to disagree with this notion. According to him, Hamilton has won the battle of the mind.
Barretto also stated that Hamilton will be a strong contender in the second half of the season.
This comes even after Mercedes claim to have a slower car than the Red Bull.
What did Barretto say?
According to the F1 reporter, Hamilton has been relying on his prior experience to try and defeat Verstappen.
He also added that the Brit is playing a long game which seemed to be obvious after the initial few races. Hamilton has been the one who backs out first, finishing behind.
“Hamilton is using his immense experience to come out on top here,” Barretto said.
“He’s well-schooled in playing the long game, which is why when he went wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen in Imola, Portimao, and Barcelona, he was the one who backed out of it to avoid them coming together.
“And in the aftermath of their Silverstone clash, Hamilton was relaxed. Whereas Verstappen appeared to crack under pressure, snapping at journalists when discussing the incident,” he added.
Can Verstappen retaliate?
Looking back at older seasons, Hamilton is expected to be a lot stronger in the second half of 2021. The Brit was playing dormant till the race in Silverstone.
And now, he is in the lead which has put Verstappen under a lot of pressure.
However, the summer break provided Red Bull time to take a breather and look back at the races. We can therefore expect the Dutchman to put up a strong fight.
What’s more, is that Verstappen will see the next two races take place in his own den – Spa and Zandvoort.
We can only wait and see how the next race turns out.
Let us know what you think in the comments below!