Hamilton and Verstappen downplay title pressure

Going into the 16th race of the season, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen exude a calm and collective approach to the championship battle and remainder of the season. Speaking ahead of the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, the title-contending duo shrugged off any notions of pressure amidst the heat of the closely-fought battle.

While seven-time world champion Hamilton leads the standings by a mere two points, Verstappen seems unperturbed by the pressure of going for his first title.

Red Bull Racing have taken the fight to Mercedes and given the reigning champions a serious run for their money. Both Verstappen and his team remain motivated and determined to win their respective titles.

Mercedes and Hamilton, on the other hand, finally have a serious contender snapping at their heels after seven long years of complete domination. But the question remains as to which one will succumb to the pressure of the battle and who will emerge the winner?

Hamilton and Verstappen tackle title pressure in their own unique demeanour

Speaking ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix, Verstappen explained his team’s mood saying:

“We’re very relaxed, but also very focused”.

Unruffled by the pressure at this stage in the season, he further added:

“Of course we want to win, the whole team wants to win, so that mentality is definitely there. But it’s nothing you can force or you have to stress about – because we always want to do the best we can anyway.”

Hamilton prefers a different approach to handling the title pressure, by disconnecting from the sport between races. The Briton, who attended the MET Gala event after the Dutch Grand Prix, was recently spotted at Fashion Week in Paris after the Russian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion explained:

“I love being able to separate from the sport, and the intensity of this whole season is difficult for everyone that's at the track.”

Shedding further light on his off-track approach, Hamilton said:

“...To be able to have something else, another outlet, that you can focus on helps take the weight off it. So when I come back, it always feels fresh when I come to a GP, because it's not something I've been thinking about every single day. I generally find it relatively easy [to absorb pressure] as I have these other outlets so I’m able to blow off steam in lots of different ways.”

Verstappen is in contention to win the drivers and possibly the first constructors title for Red Bull Racing since 2013. Despite those expectations on his shoulders, the young Dutchman has apparently been calm and relaxed in his approach.

Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamiltonduring the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

On being asked about it, Verstappen said:

“I always do my best and I know that the team is also doing the best they can, and if that’s going to be first at the end of the year – that’s of course an amazing achievement and that’s what we work for, right?”

Max Verstappen looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey at Intercity Istanbul Park, Turkey. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

For Verstappen, who has a longer career ahead of him than his rival, winning the title won't be the end of the world. The 23-year-old Red Bull Racing driver explained:

“Even if we would finish second, I think we’d still have had a great season. And at the end of the day it’s not really going to change my life. I mean, I enjoy what I’m doing and I think that’s also very important. For me, there is not much to worry about really.”

Max Verstappen battles with Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain at Bahrain International Circuit on April 8, 2018 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

As Verstappen and his team approach the season with their own "one race at a time" approach, the Dutchman refused to hype the goings-on of the title battle, saying:

“We are fully committed to trying and making this a success together. But you cannot force things. You just have to work well and work hard together, and then we’ll find out at the end of the season where that will put us. Is that first, is that second? We don’t know.”

With 15 races in the books and seven more to go, both Verstappen and Hamilton’s distinct approaches are adding to the undulating momentum of one of the sport’s most exciting seasons since the dawn of the V6 turbo hybrid era.