P2 in championship would be 'something special' for Verstappen

Beating Valtteri Bottas to second place in the Formula 1 drivers' championship would be "something special" from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, according to Ross Brawn.

Verstappen moved to within seven points of Mercedes' Bottas for P2 in the standings after finishing second in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on a third win in the last four races following a late defeat to Lewis Hamilton.

The momentum has led to thoughts of a possible surge into the title race for Verstappen, and while F1 sporting managing director Brawn feels that is unlikely, beating Bottas to P2 would still be an outstanding achievement.

"Max Verstappen and Red Bull produced a great performance. The Dutchman took his first-ever pole on Saturday, putting in a series of incredibly quick laps," Brawn wrote in his regular post-race column

"And in the race he did all he could to try and make it three wins from the last four Grands Prix. He didn't quite manage it, but that was down to what Mercedes and Hamilton did rather than what he and Red Bull did not do.

"In Hungary, the Milton Keynes squad proved it had the second most potent package, with Honda showing it has made real progress in terms of power and speed.

"Max has scored more points (81) than any other driver from the last four races. That’s 18 more than Hamilton and also almost twice that of the Ferrari duo who are on 45 each. It’s also well over twice Bottas’ total.

"Beating Lewis for the title seems out of reach, but second place is now more likely for Verstappen and that would be something special."

Brawn also wrote about Ferrari's ongoing struggles after it finished over a minute off race winner Hamilton in Hungary, saying the summer break has come "just at the right time" for the Italian team.

"I’m well aware of how the pressure can build on Ferrari when things aren’t going well. It won’t do any harm to take a breather and recharge the batteries," Brawn said.

"Then, once the racing starts again, the aero requirements of Spa and Monza could put Vettel and Leclerc right in the fight again considering the aero efficiency of their cars.

"Ferrari badly needs a win, not so much for their championship aspirations, but as a morale booster, to prove that it has the potential to be a championship contender, an obligation it has always been under."