Sorry Max, Smart Money is still on Lewis Hamilton in the F1 title hunt

Despite Max Verstappen’s victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the smart money still rests with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to win the 2021 Formula 1 championship.

Verstappen’s victory was impressive. Give him that.

Hamilton’s second place was more impressive.

Hamilton, the seven-time F1 champion, came back from a spin in the gravel during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola that sent him back to ninth place. And in a racing series in which passes for the position in midfield are the cause of highlights in the TV show, Hamilton drove back from ninth to second place in the last 32 laps in Italy.

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Max Verstappen (right) could face a rare battle of the season.

Mark ThompsonGetty Images

“In my opinion it was not the best day,” said Hamilton at the press conference of the podium finishers after the race in Imola, Italy. “It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve made a mistake, but I’m grateful that I was able to bring the car home.”

Not only did Hamilton bring the car home, he also brought it home by running the F1 Drivers’ Championship. He leads Verstappen by one point, while Mercedes also leads the even more important F1 constructors’ championship (for the teams, as this is where the prize money is).

Hamilton’s mistake occurred on lap 31 of the 63-lap race when he exited the dry line on a track that was still littered with wet spots after pre-race rainfall that lasted into the first few minutes of the race .

“Yeah, there was only one dry line and I think I was in a bit of a hurry to get past everyone,” said Hamilton. “When I got inside I could see it was wet and I was trying to stop but the thing didn’t stop and it sent me away. A little unhappy, but I’m really, really grateful that we had to go back and getting some points for the team was really important today. “

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When Hamilton launched his indictment, TV pundits predicted that if Hamilton could get back to sixth, or perhaps even fifth, it could save the day and at least diminish the success of his championship hopes. Nobody gave him a shot on the podium, let alone second place and a chance to keep his lead in championship points.

“I haven’t thought about it,” said Hamilton. “I was just trying to get over the feeling that it’s when you make a mistake and just go ahead and just learn really fast and you don’t have time to deal with it, so that’s what I did – get back into the racing spirit .

Max Verstappen had no problems in Imola, he won by 22 seconds.

Dan Istitene – Formula 1Getty Images

“I didn’t know if we could overtake or not because offline would get wet here too, but there were still some great fights with all the guys.”

Many on social media, and especially on TV, have tried to point out that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are faster than Mercedes and Hamilton this season. Based on what? Hamilton was in pole position at Imola last week and also had the fastest lap of the race.

At the season opener, Verstappen was on pole position, but on race day Hamilton was on the top step of the podium and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas drove the fastest lap.

And Hamilton leads the points.

Maybe it’s time to criticize Verstappen. If he has the faster car, why isn’t he leading the championship? How come he hasn’t set the fastest lap of the race this season?

Betting sites (betting is legal in more states than ever) across the board are listing Hamilton as favorites for the next race in the series in Portugal on May 2nd.

Maybe they haven’t heard that Verstappen and Red Bull are faster.

Or they don’t buy it either.

Are you buying Max Verstappen to be the F1 title favorite in 2021? Start the discussion in the comments section below.

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