Lewis Hamilton finished second in Budapest, behind Max Verstappen
(Picture: Getty Images)Lewis Hamilton has warned Max Verstappen he is coming for him after the summer break following a fifth consecutive podium.
The seven-time world champion also hinted he could have won Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix had a DRS issue not meant he only qualified seventh for the race.
After back-to-back runners-up finishes before Formula One packed up for its month-long summer break, Hamilton said: “We are clearly closing the gap and this is just an amazing way to go into the break knowing that we have this performance.
“I honestly think in a straight-out race we might not be that far behind Max so I am really excited about the second half of the season and proud of my team for not giving up.
“I think if we are able to take this pace into the second half of the season for sure we can start to fight with those guys.”
Hamilton and Mercedes teammate George Russell showed at the Hungaroring that they are now a match on pace with the Ferrari as Russell took pole and finished third behind Hamilton. Verstappen, meanwhile remains a class apart as he took his eighth win of the season and extended his championship lead to 80 points.
Hamilton, meanwhile, was left to ponder what might have been had he, like Russell, been able to park his Mercedes on the front row of the grid for the race.
“If we had got our lap yesterday, we would have been on the front row and perhaps it would have been a different result,” he said. “If the DRS was okay, we would have been in the run for the win.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to fight and battle with a Ferrari. That’s huge for us. I think the Red Bulls are probably still ahead.
“But I think we still have made huge progress and huge steps. And so to have this consistency and two double podiums in the last two races give us great hope and a huge push for the second half of the season.”
