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Max Verstappen is currently leading the 2021 championship by six points over Lewis Hamilton. It has been one of the best seasons in Formula 1 for the young Red Bull driver as, for the first time, he has a car capable of winning the title. At the same time, the Dutchman is getting more recognition for being one of the best drivers on the grid presently.
One of the latest to heap plaudits on Verstappen is his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez, who has termed him the "driver of the 2021 season" so far.
When asked by reporters about who he felt had been the standout driver so far this season, Perez picked Max Verstappen because of his ability to make the least mistakes. The Mexican said:
“I think Max has been the driver of the season, to be honest, so far. I think he has (made) the least mistakes of anyone out there. He’s put things together at a very high level. The season is still very long so we’ll see later on. So far, I have been surprised in a very positive way on how he delivers without mistakes at such a high level.”
When questioned if there were any obvious areas where Verstappen was lacking, Perez said:
"I’ll have to think about it, but I don’t think there are. Not obvious ones, yet. It’s not easy being Max’s teammate because he’s at one with the car. He’s delivering at a very high level. We’ve got a unique car in a way and it hasn’t been easy. You need to be mentally very strong after each day and I think that’s one of my strengths, to take the most out of it and try to get the maximum out of every Sunday."
Max Verstappen to renew his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton at the US Grand Prix
The Formula 1 circus reaches Austin, Texas, this weekend and Verstappen will be hoping to add to his his six-point lead in the championship over Hamilton. The long straights at the Circuit of the Americas will likely favor the grunt of the Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows have been the better cars more often than not since Silverstone. Despite that, Verstappen has continued to make the most of whatever he's had at his disposal in each race and wrest the championship lead from Hamilton.
