F1 Managing Director for motorsport Ross Brawn is hopeful that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will get the chance to battle it out on track for the 2021 World Championship, with 10 races of the season still to run. The second half of the campaign got underway in unusual circumstances as the Dutchman won the Belgian GP, though he was awarded half points when the race was called off after two laps were completed behind the Safety Car in rainy conditions. Brawn believes the win will give Verstappen a small boost following disappointing results in Britain and Hungary, and he's hopeful the remaining 10 races will see both drivers fight for the championship without being knocked out or suffering mechanical failures. "Max's win in Belgium is a small boost to him and Red Bull, who let's not forget arrived at Spa after two very tough races," Brawn wrote in his column for Formula1.com. "We can debate the incident between Lewis and Max at Silverstone, but there was no debate in Hungary – for Max to be taken out like that at the first corner is sheer bad luck, which will happen once or twice a year. "Every championship battle ebbs and flows. I hope we can now have 10 races where both Max and Lewis score and we can see them battle for the lead. When one driver gets knocked out or has a failure, it spoils the battle." This weekend will see F1 head to Zandvoort for the first Dutch GP since 1985. Verstappen will no doubt be supported by the home fans, with Brawn noting passionate F1 fans are always a welcome sight. "Max is going to enjoy some extra support in Zandvoort this weekend," Brawn added. "It's a race I'm very much looking forward to. The promoter has made a tremendous effort to put the event on and made massive modifications to the track. "It will no doubt be a sea of orange – but Lewis had huge support at Silverstone. To see such passion for our sport is a great thing."
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