[Turbohead]

Voted for Max. It's kind of guaranteed unless Mercedes has a surprise up it's sleeves.
Although I want Max to win the championship, I would prefer a super tight battle with 3 drivers fighting for the top spot till the last race. Currently, Max is having it super easy!

[IshaanIan]

It will be interesting to see the results of the upcoming Silverstone GP. I believe all the races left in the calendar are at tracks that favor the Mercedes setup like Silverstone and SPA. It is still too early to tell, but after the Silverstone GP, we will get to know how competitive the Redbull is on tracks that favor the Mercedes.

[narayans80]

Redbull has to nail the initial European races after the summer break, that is when Mercedes will come back hard. If RBR widens the gap in these races, high chance that Mercedes will start focusing on 2022 season over 2021.

It is Max and RBR's championship to lose, but they'll have tough 2 months or so to defend the WDC and WCC lead.

[veedub89]

Too early to tell in my opinion.
Max is just one DNF away from losing all his lead in the championship.
That Honda engine is fast this season but it has been hopelessly unreliable in the last few seasons, as most ardent F1 fans will know.

Mercedes is down on power this season because they have shifted their focus to 2022 where a majority of the rule changes are going to take place. So no upgrades are coming that can put the car on par with Red Bull.

Having said that you can't deny that Lewis is an exceptional driver and if any one can overcome the power disparity, he can.

This season is a marathon and not a sprint and therefore I think we should wait for Max to get a considerable lead before we put our money on any driver.

[SedanGuy]

Too early to call anything but I am glad to see someone standing up to the Mercedes. The sport had become boring owing to the same old silver arrows dominating the grid. This season the credit goes to Redbull for 3 major things:

1. Finally that 2nd Redbull seat is doing what its supposed to do and Checo is putting pressure on not only Bottas but Hamilton in some races too.

2. Christian Horner for spending time on current gen car even if it was for only one season.

3. Max has really matured as a driver. From what he was just couple of years ago, you can definitely see a massive difference in the way he presents himself. He is a much matured guy now, his aggression both on and off grid has toned down significantly and he looks more confident as well.

You cant discount Merc at this point either, clearly they found some pace in the Austrian grand prix. Is there a comeback? I hope not

[Cyborg]

Too early to tell, we are still two races away from the summer break too.

Red Bull has the upper hand right now and Honda will throw everything required (in the engine department) at them to win this year’s constructors championship since it’s their last year in F1. If they do it will be great as no other team has managed to beat Mercedes in the hybrid era. If this were to happen, more likely than not Max will be the drivers World Champion.

Having said that, Lewis is a wily old fox with a lot more experience in fighting title battles, has seen more ups and downs and more likely to keep his cool as the race/s heat up in the mental department as well as on the track.

The rest of the season should be interesting for sure. I am easy either way whoever wins the drivers title. Let the better man/team win in the end.

Cheers

[88_TANK_88]

I want to see Max win the championship. The development he has shown over the years from just raw pace and hunger to a hungry yet level headed contender is phenomenal.

Redbull also have sorted the performance deficit they had againt Mercedes, and have a second driver right up there in the mix. Checo is third in driver standings at the moment.

While the other teams have receded into battling for third/fourth in construtors championship, RB has kept the challenge alive.

Earlier it used to be Lewis running the lead, Max chasing him and Bottas stopping Max. This time it has been Max and Lewis battling head to head with Perez and Bottas in defensive role. The races are closer and strategies changing over the course of a race.

I am loving this season with brilliant performances across the grid and really hope this stays close right to the end of season.

[iceman7]

Voted for Max, however it is way too early in the season to make a call on this. All it takes is a couple DNF's or out of place finishes and the scales will tilt in Hamilton's favor. Goes the other way also.

I like how Max has matured as a driver over the years. He still has the aggression, but it is controlled and well channeled. Add to this the tremendous support he has from Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, the entire Red Bull team, and most importantly from Perez, who is doing a fine job at Red Bull. It will be good to see Max win the title.

However, one thing I have realized is that you can never write off Lewis. It's never over till it's over with him. The hunger and determination Lewis has is just at another level. As long as it is mathematically possible, always always count Lewis in the fight.

As F1 fans, this is the fight we always waited to see.

[AutoConsultant]

All I hope for is that the championship is decided at the last Race! Following are my observations on the progress till now :-

Merc - They were so dominant last year that they decided to go a little low on upgrades for this year and focus their resources on the next year. They (both team and drivers) have made a few uncharacteristic mistakes as well this season. Now they are under pressure from RB and I think they are going to respond well. I feel Silverstone is make or break for them, they are getting upgrades and Toto has already commented that they will be 30 seconds quicker there (that was more of a passing comment)

RedBull - Honda's last year so both they and RB are giving it their all. Max has grown with experience and is performing at the highest level. They also have a capable second driver in Checo who helps them keep the Mercs in check. However, I don't think even they were expecting to outperform Merc.

My verdict is if Max wins Silverstone, he wins the championship.

[SShandilya]

Like many on this forum have expressed a lot depends on Silverstone.
Toto has said it loud and clear that they are carrying on upgrades for the race and they will be 1 and 2 by 30 secs. (The latter half of that statement is wishful thinking but the former really makes one wonder).
For Redbull to win or I might say Max to win, they’ve to make sure that both redbulls perform and be at least in top 3 cars (obvious Max being 1) to put the pressure on Mercedes and avoid any last minute strategy by Mercedes.

[fastturtle10]

Just like others have mentioned, Silverstone is bound to provide us with a good projection of what to expect for the rest of the season; if the Red Bull of Max Verstappen wins without difficulty, then the championship will easily land in the hands of Red Bull and Max. If the Mercedes driven by Lewis gets his 99th victory, then its fair to say the championship will go down to the last few races with many different factors such as strategy, luck, development, etc, coming into play. I for one am hoping that Lewis has a masterclass of a race at Silverstone and we all get the same excitement we experienced at Bahrain this year. On the other hand, unless Mercedes is able to get both Lewis and Valterri on the podium (preferably with one of them winning the race) for the next few races, the constructors is seemingly likely to go down to Red Bull.

[rainmaster]

I guess Honda had found something which they had missed it last few years. Redbull’s straight line speed is second to none. Even Alpha Tauri are doing really well. Last there Grand Prix are indication of what to come next. Mercedes are making occasional pit stop error and soon Hamilton will be at the receiving end. On the other hand Redbull are working like a well-oiled machine, flawless execution of pit stop and with great strategy, Verstappen is bound to consolidate his lead. Perez is improving well and will have impact on championship battle in later half of the season.

Multiple factors are in favor of Verstappen . My mind says Verstappen will win the championship and my heart also seeks the same so that Michael Schumacher Seven time World Champion record is still intact. Hamilton had broken several records which he rightly deserves but let the record with most F1 title can be shared between Hamilton and Schumacher.

[mayankk]

No thread on the Turkish grand prix?
Wet start, hamilton in 11th..... Should be interesting.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by mayankk

No thread on the Turkish grand prix?
Wet start, hamilton in 11th..... Should be interesting.

Hi! Have been pretty damn busy with upcoming exams so completely forgot that there was a race this weekend. Requesting someone else to do it this weekend.

Thanks in Advance!

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Hi! Have been pretty damn busy with upcoming exams so completely forgot that there was a race this weekend. Requesting someone else to do it this weekend.

Thanks in Advance!

Oh that's fine, then. However, I doubt your studying right now!
What a charge by hamilton so far.