Verstappen: Mercedes still has 'dominant package'

Despite securing his second win of the season in Hockenheim, Red Bull's Max Verstappen downplayed his championship chances, insisting Mercedes remained "miles ahead".

In a race marked by changing conditions and multiple Safety Car periods, strategy and skill played a crucial role in surviving the German Grand Prix's chaos.

But Red Bull and Verstappen worked together to pull off a well-deserved win that consolidated the Dutchman's third place in the drivers' standings while also bringing him within 22 points of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.

• F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2019 German GP

However, the 63-point spread between Hamilton and Verstappen keeps the reigning world champion comfortably ahead, a gap the Red Bull charger feels he'll be challenged to fill given Mercedes' supremacy.

"They are so miles ahead in the championship, it [the 63-point lead] is more than two victories, and they are still the dominant team, I think," said Verstappen.

"We managed to do a good job but we still have to work very hard to close that gap and actually really fight for the victory every single race, so there's still a lot of work to do."

Amid the tumultuous conditions, even Verstappen failed to steer clear of the race's pitfalls, suffering a 360-degree spin on his out lap after swapping to Pirelli's medium compound tyre.

But that was the only significant mistake in an otherwise great performance from the 21-year-old.

"We had to stay very focused. We couldn't afford too many mistakes," he added.

"I mean now, after the race, I can say I did that 360 for the crowd, but at the time it was a bit tricky out there with the medium tyre, very low grip.

"I think the information between myself and the team was crucial. I think we made the right calls and that gave us the victory also."

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