Max Verstappen & Red Bull Racing 'won't give up' as challenge with Hamilton intensifies

After leading the F1 Drivers' Championship by 32 points at one stage, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen has seen his lead crashing down. As things stand, Mercedes F1's Lewis Hamilton currently leads the F1 standings from the Dutchman by eight points. Verstappen's staggering lead has diminished because of various costly crashes in the previous few Grand Prix.

At the British GP, Verstappen and Hamilton controversially crashed, thereby ending the Red Bull Racing driver's race. Moreover, things were not bright for Verstappen at the Hungarian GP either, as he finished in ninth place after crashing with Valtteri Bottas on the opening lap. Meanwhile, Hamilton went on to win the British GP and finished second at the Hungarian GP.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing looking to bounce back

After recent setbacks, Red Bull Racing insists they are extremely motivated to bounce back against Mercedes F1 as the nailbiting title battle between the two major teams and their star drivers resumes this weekend at the Belgian GP. While reflecting on previous crashes, Verstappen told Sky F1, "It's a lot of freak moments at the moment that cost us a lot of points. They are of course very quick, but we never give up."

Similarly, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner reiterated Verstappen's views in a different interview with Sky F1. Horner said, "We've had six victories, and the races we've lost are with a tyre explosion [in Azerbaijan], being taken out at Silverstone, and then Hungary. I think we've got a lot to be positive about, and the whole team is fully motivated. We're going to come out for the second half of this championship, and it's all to play for. The difference between second and first, I think the second half of this year is going to be epic, and we're not giving up anything."

Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to the Max Verstappen challenge

Even though Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes F1 arrive at the halfway stage with the lead in the F1 2021 standings, the seven-time Drivers' Champion is well aware of the challenge posed by Max Verstappen. After his win in Hungary, the Brit said, "It's definitely been a hard slog for us. Those guys with their update had a combination of things, but they took a really good step once we got to the midpoint. Monaco onwards was intense, but the upgrade really has worked, and then we've just been working on our procedure through the weekend and trying to extract more from the car and I think now we're a lot closer."

Belgian GP date and time

Friday, August 27

Free Practice One: 3:00 PM IST to 4:00 PM IST

Free Practice Two: 6:30 PM IST to 7:30 PM IST

Saturday, August 28

Free Practice 3: 3:30 PM IST to 4:30 PM IST

Qualifying: 6:30 PM IST to 7:30 PM IST

Sunday, August 29

Main Race: 6:30 PM IST to 8:30 PM IST