Formula One: Verstappen's fear as Hamilton closes in

Fernando Alonso shows his jubilation in his first podium appearance since 2014. Photo / Supplied

Championship leader Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team seem to be almost in a state of crisis following yet another Lewis Hamilton victory, this time being round 21, the Qatar Grand Prix.

Hamilton's seventh win of the season comes just a week after he won the Sao Paulo GP despite a 20-place grid penalty in the qualifying sprint race, and starting the race itself from 10th on the grid, including a five-place penalty for changing an engine.

On his way to victory, Hamilton was taken wide on one corner by Verstappen, which the FIA deemed fair, but a couple of laps later, he cruised past Verstappen, raising alarm bells around the straight-line speed of the Mercedes.

Red Bull raised question marks about the legality of the Mercedes' rear wing, which had seen Hamilton penalised for the qualifying sprint race because the gap in the wing, when opened for DRS, was too wide.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolf claimed that was because the wing was damaged, but the FIA didn't accept that explanation, so when Hamilton finished fifth in the sprint race, Wolff in congratulating him on the team radio, added "F**k them all" either in reference to the race stewards, or the FIA.

Then when Hamilton subsequently won the grand prix, Wolff gesticulated defiantly with one finger to the camera.

Prior to the British GP at Silverstone back in July, Verstappen held a 33-point lead over seven-time world champion Hamilton.

But Hamilton punted Verstappen off on the opening lap of that race and went on to win it, while Verstappen went to hospital for a check-up. It was literally a turning point in the championship. Hamilton got a 10-second penalty for his indiscretion, but still easily won the race. In the following Hungarian GP, Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas caused a first-corner melee that damaged Verstappen's car.

The latter finished the race but was only ninth, while Hamilton finished second behind Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. In just two races, Verstappen's championship lead had turned into a four-point deficit.

The young Dutchman recovered from those setbacks, but with Hamilton winning the Sao Paulo GP just over a week ago, and now the inaugural Qatar GP at the Losail circuit, he is only trailing Verstappen by eight points with two races remaining.

The problem for Max and his Red Bull team is that Hamilton's Mercedes is now being described as a "rocket" and the odds on him winning a record-breaking eighth title now seem almost a formality, such is the rediscovered pace and reliability of a car that has not been beaten since the Hybrid turbo era began in 2014. Finishing second, which is what Verstappen managed in Qatar despite a five-place grid penalty for ignoring double-waved yellow flags in qualifying when Pierre Gasly's Alpha Tauri suffered a puncture, may be damage limitation, but with a seven-point difference between first and second, if Hamilton wins the remaining races in Saudi Arabia, another new venue, and Abu Dhabi, Hamilton will be champion regardless of where Verstappen finishes..

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, aware that the tide has turned in Mercedes' favour, was highly critical of the race steward's decision to penalise his star driver, blaming a "rogue marshal" for the double-waved yellow flags when discussing Max's penalty with Sky Sports prior to the race. This prompted a visit to the stewards post-race, an apology by Horner, who said he hadn't intended to offend the marshals - who he accepts are volunteers and do a "wonderful, wonderful job" - and a formal warning from the FIA.

Horner insists his reaction wasn't an indication that the pressure of the title race was getting to him.

"I think we've actually been fairly pretty good without our emotions," he said. "I haven't been pointing and swearing at cameras or that kind of thing. I'm straight. I tell you what I think. If I think you are being an arse, I will tell you, you are being an arse."

Wolff, tongue firmly in cheek, says Horner was being "naughty", adding "we are all responsible for what we say and we do", without referencing his only critical behaviour in Brazil.

Jos Verstappen, the father of Max, is adamant there is something going on with the Mercedes car, having noticed at Interlagos that video footage of the steering wheel on Hamilton's car showed it going back and forth.

Hamilton said "it doesn't move forwards and backwards, it just moves," meaning left and right.

"That is not wear and tear, as Mercedes claims. I don't believe that," Jos told De Telegraaf. "I am very curious what they are doing at Mercedes. Such an enormous difference in speed, from one race to another. I have never experienced that in my life. I really think the FIA should look into this, just like the rear wing.

"I'm quite happy to lose, but it has to be done in a fair way," Jos added. "Of course, I fear Mercedes. Max sees it too, but he says, 'The only thing I can do is drive as hard as possible'."

At Qatar, the FIA said it would carry out a weight test on the Mercedes' rear wing, but so far no results have been made available. Horner has pointed out a grey shadow area on the lower part of the Mercedes wing in what they call "fretting against, it's where it has backed off, where it has moved and flexed".

Wolff, though, is gleefully rubbing salt in the Red Bull wounds.

"Saudi should be a good track for us, but we know this year when you think it's a good one, it can turn the other way around," Wolff said.

"But it's a long straight, we'll get our spicy equipment [engine] out for Saudi Arabia that we didn't use [in Qatar] and hopefully Valtteri is right up there – we need him. But in any case, I think the car is quick on the straight and good around the corners. I think we have to push maximum attack. We have to catch up and that's just what we are going to do," he said to wind Horner and Red Bull up.

Bottas has since revealed his car carried a different spec to Hamilton's car but wouldn't elaborate. If Hamilton is feeling any pressure he's not admitting it - but in fact seems to be thriving on it, making no mistakes, unlike Verstappen who didn't see that double-waved yellow flag in qualifying, and paid the price.

"I love the close battle and the pressure, the demands it puts on you and the whole team," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it but these next two races need even better performance, so we will be bringing our AAA game for those ones.

"The last two weeks have been fantastic, it's just amazing, and there's no time for celebrations. It's back in. I'll be back with the team already again next week and back in training tomorrow just staying on it, head down. I don't really have too much emotion because I'm just driven right now, but it is amazing, to be able to close back so many points in these last two races has been important."

Verstappen said the penalty motivated him for the race.

"We were a little bit too slow so of course that naturally means in a race after qualifying, in a race it's going to be tricky as well, but we just need to try and stay focused," he said, not sounding very confident at all as he sees his lead and title aspirations slipping away.

"There are two races to go, as you can see a lot of things can happen, even in qualifying, so anything is possible."

Fernando Alonso was voted Driver of the Day for his third-place finish for Alpine. He took advantage of grid penalties for Verstappen and Bottas to start from third on the grid, and was able to pass Gasly on the first lap. His one-stop strategy paid off, but didn't work for Bottas, Lando Norris and the Williams duo, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, who all suffered punctures.

By looking after his tyres and avoiding the curbs, Alonso was able to hold out a late-charging Sergio Perez to secure his first podium since Hungary, 2014, when he was in the Ferrari.

"Unbelievable, seven years, but finally we got it," a beaming Alonso said. "We were close a couple of races, but not enough. Sochi was the last possibility. And here today, honestly, I thought to be leading after lap one. I thought with the red tyre [soft] I could have a go on Lewis, but I couldn't."

During the race Alonso radioed his race engineer to "tell Esteban to defend like a lion", meaning to hold up Perez as best he could, which Ocon did, claiming he did lose Perez "a good two and a half seconds". Ocon was happy to pay Alonso back for the 12 laps he had kept Hamilton behind him in Hungary, which ultimately allowed Ocon to hold on for his first F1 victory.

While Alonso made reference to Ocon defending like a lion, Wolff claims the penalties Hamilton got in Brazil woke up the lion in him.

"He's totally in the zone," Wolff says.

"They woke up the lion at Interlagos on that Saturday and you see that."

Verstappen needs to use his Qatar penalty as his motivation to reignite his title aspirations, because his grip on the driver's title is slipping away.