No question Verstappen’s title bid is on a roll, says Coulthard

The Scottish driver believes that if it wasn’t for Ferrari’s reliability issues of late, things may be quite different.

Verstappen has pulled out a 49 lead in the Driver’s Championship after eight races in this year’s 22 round season the Dutchman turned things around from earlier in the season when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc looked to be the stronger of the two.

However, reliability issues halted Leclerc’s challenge for the time being allowing Verstappen to pull out a very healthy lead.

Things can change very quickly in Formula 1.

Speaking to media including RacingNews365.com, Coulthard gave his thoughts on Verstappen’s lead and if he thought the Dutchman would fly off into the distance and secure a second title with ease. While he is impressed with Verstappen’s driving, Coulthard believes that the Ferrari challenge is far from over.

“I don't, I really don't I think that, you know, Ferrari, if they hadn't had those two non finishes, then it would have made a big difference. I think things change quickly in Formula 1. I think that the Ferrari is still fundamentally a fast car, which has obviously got reliability issues,” Coulthard said.

“And you know, we saw again, Perez had reliability issues on the [Canadian] weekend. So you know, let's see how the season plays out. But, you know, he's [Verstappen] on a roll, there's no question. He's driving beautifully. But Carlos Sainz looked pretty quick on the weekend, maybe if that had been Charles up there, maybe he would have had a go, who knows.

Watch the fourth race of the 2022 W Series season live from Silverstone on Sky Sports and Channel 4 on Saturday 2 July.