Mercedes still “miles ahead” in championship - Verstappen

Max Verstappen doubts he has thrust himself into Formula 1 title contention with his victory at the German Grand Prix as he concedes Mercedes remains “miles ahead” in the championship.

The Red Bull driver won a thrilling race in changeable conditions at Hockenheim to record his second victory in three races, as Mercedes endured a nightmare home race as Valtteri Bottas crashed out and Lewis Hamilton finished a lowly ninth following post-race penalties.

Following his second win of the 2019 season, Verstappen has closed to within 22 points of second-placed Bottas, while he is 63 points adrift of championship leader Hamilton.

Asked if he felt events in Germany had blown open the title race, Verstappen replied: “I don’t know, they are so miles ahead in the championship.

“It’s still a lot, isn’t it? It’s more than two victories, and they are still the dominant team, I think.

“It was just very tricky out there and it’s easy to make a mistake, as you could see,” he added. “So, yeah, it was not their day.

“We managed to do a good job but we still have to work very hard to close that gap and actually really fight for the victory every single race so still a lot of work to do.

“But of course when you can, it’s good to score more points than them.”