What Max Verstappen has done this season that Damon Hill thinks is ‘utterly mindblowing’

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Max Verstappen is undoubtably one of the quickest qualifiers on the current Formula 1 grid, having achieved 40 pole positions in his career.

He is fifth on the all-time list ahead of Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, and Jim Clark, while he is currently level with Ayrton Senna for the record of consecutive F1 poles at eight in a row.

One of his standout poles was at the Austrian Grand Prix during the recent triple-header, where Verstappen earned pole with a lap time that was nearly half a second quicker than Lando Norris.

It might seem like the regular margin that Verstappen is able to blitz the field with in his RB20, but Damon Hill believes it the pole lap was ‘mindblowing’ due to one key factor when speaking on the F1 Nation podcast.

Damon Hill points out ‘mindblowing’ Austria pole lap from Max Verstappen

Hill pointed to the impressive lap set by Verstappen in the closing stages of qualifying, which the Dutchman said was possible after they made adjustments to their car after the Sprint earlier in the day.

Given that the Red Bull Ring is effectively just 10 corners and mainly straights, Hill believes the difference in lap time was impressive from Verstappen and shows how he can extract every last second from his car.

“I have to say, Max’s pole in Austria was utterly mindblowing given that it’s such a short lap. It was a huge lap, but he’s able to do that and it’s why we love to watch him,” said Hill.

“We love to watch drivers who can go right to the limit and get the most out of the car, it’s always astonishing.”

Red Bull having to catch up to rivals after upgrade fails

Even though Verstappen has shown Red Bull still has raw speed, the team has seen its advantage cut by rivals McLaren and Mercedes in the last three races.

Red Bull brought its sixth major upgrade to Silverstone, specifically to the underbody area of the floor on their RB20, but it failed to deliver on the performance they expected.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

As their rivals plan to bring more performance upgrades to the track before the summer break, Red Bull faces a considerable challenge to ensure it stays top.

Verstappen has comfortably managed to lead races by considerable margins, but he may need to settle for second if he wants to recuperate as many points as possible and prevent Red Bull from slipping back in the Constructors’ Championship.