Verstappen focuses on building momentum

LONDON • One year on from a painful crash, world champion Max Verstappen returns to Silverstone this weekend as the clear favourite to register his first British Grand Prix win and increase his lead in the title race.

Red Bull are on the crest of a wave after six consecutive victories, with the Dutchman claiming five of those and teammate Sergio Perez the other.

But seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to mount more of a challenge at his home track. After 10 races without a win, the Briton is seeking to avoid the longest winless sequence in his Formula One career.

Despite his capricious bouncing Mercedes car, Hamilton finished third in Canada a fortnight ago and will hope to see more improvement.

In last year's race, the pair tangled on the opening lap in a controversial collision that stoked ill feeling between them that ended with the acrimonious season finale in Abu Dhabi.

After his crash at Silverstone, Verstappen was taken to hospital with severe bruising while Hamilton went on to claim a record eighth home triumph amid Red Bull complaints Mercedes' post-race celebrations were unsporting.

This season, Mercedes are not in the title picture and as far as Verstappen is concerned, he has already forgotten that flashpoint.

He told GP Racing yesterday: "I love going there. It's a really good atmosphere with F1, and we're going really quick around there. So I don't have any hard feelings."

He also claimed the rabid support from 140,000 fans for Hamilton would not affect his bid for a maiden win, adding: "The good thing is, once we jump in the car with the helmet on, you don't hear anything. And they love motor sport. I mean, it's such a big history in England in general, right?"

His team's main challenge this weekend is likely to come from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who were faster in Montreal but unable to make it pay.

Mercedes have promised "some new bits" for their cars at their "home" race and, after nine top-five finishes, Hamilton's young teammate George Russell should not be overlooked as a contender.

However, much of the attention in the last few days has been on matters off the track.

Earlier this week, three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet came under fire for using a Brazilian slang word - which many view as a racist slur - to describe Hamilton when he was asked to comment on last year's Silverstone crash in a podcast.

The furore resulted in the 69-year-old Brazilian, who is the father of Verstappen's partner, Kelly Piquet, being banned from the F1 paddock, despite an apology.

Verstappen, in remarks reported by the BBC, insisted that Piquet was "not a racist", but conceded: "The wording used... was not correct and that will be a lesson for the future not to use that word because it is very offensive."

Yesterday, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was slammed when he voiced his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been widely condemned for his invasion of Ukraine.

The 91-year-old Briton hailed Mr Putin as a "first-class person" he would "take a bullet" for. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described his remarks as "absolutely extraordinary".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS