Max Verstappen told ‘mentality’ advantage he has over Charles Leclerc at Austrian GP

Max Verstappen makes subtle dig at Lewis Hamilton in April

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Johnny Herbert has explained how the mentalities of both Red Bull and Ferrari will give Max Verstappen an edge in the championship over Charles Leclerc. The Dutch driver is 53 points ahead of Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship and will hope to extend that lead in Austria this weekend.

Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto has admitted that his team are not focusing on the Drivers’ Championship over the Constructors’ Championship, something that Herbert believes plays to Verstappen’s advantage. “When you listen to Mattia he is sort of talking about Constructors’ and then the Drivers’, but everybody at home I think is really wanting to watch the Drivers’ Championship,” Herbert told Sky Sports F1. “I think that is why I think the advantage at the present time is with Red Bull, their focus is making sure that Max or Sergio [Perez], but mainly Max, wins that championship.

“That is a completely different mentality than what Ferrari seems to be alluding to, that they aim to focus on both but if you win the races, the Constructors’ comes with it, that will follow. Focus on getting your drivers happy as well.”

Both Red Bull drivers Verstappen and Perez are ahead of Leclerc, and Ferrari remain 63 points behind Christian Horner’s team in the Constructors’ Championship too, despite Binotto’s admission that he focuses on both. “There are two championships, the constructors and the drivers,” Binotto said.

“As Ferrari, we are focusing on both of them. We are always trying to maximise the team points and that’s important for us, while also trying to prioritise the leaders. What we did at Silverstone when there was a Safety Car, Charles was leading the race and we prioritised him. Whether that was the right choice, that’s a different point.

“But at the time the decision was for him, to give him the best solution and let him try to win the race. If Charles is proving again that he will be the fastest driver, if he is leading in the championship, there will be a priority on him. But that’s something the drivers know, it’s not something we need to explain to them. It’s obvious reasoning, and we are applying it.”

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Despite Verstappen pipping Lewis Hamilton to the title last season, Mercedes kept their grip on the Constructors’ Championship and Horner won’t rule them out of winning again despite being 124 points behind Red Bull.

“There’s such a long way to go and we’ve seen such big swings in points,” Horner told the Mirror. “Ferrari have a great car and competitive drivers, and Mercedes… I wouldn’t discount them from the championship just yet, so there’s a long, long way to go and an awful lot of racing, and a lot of points available.

“We are only at the halfway point so anything is possible. We don’t rule out or underestimate any of our opponents. They’ve won the constructors’ championship for the last eight consecutive seasons, so we’d be fairly foolhardy to underestimate them.”

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