Verstappen has ‘same steely grit as any world champion’ - Newey

Verstappen witnessed a 33-point championship lead became an eight-point deficit to main rival Hamilton heading into the summer break after a nightmare pair of races at Silverstone and Hungary.

The Dutchman was taken out in a first-lap collision with Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, before he picked up damage that ruined his Hungarian Grand Prix in the carnage triggered by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.

Speaking in an interview published on Red Bull's official website, Newey tipped Verstappen to bounce back from his recent setbacks when the season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of this month.

“He has the same steely grit as any world champion, the stuff that they need to dig in and keep going in the face of adversity,” Newey said.

“He can put the past behind him and look forward to the next race. His driving ability is obviously superb, and he’s matured into a great racer. He’s really not made any mistakes this year.

“The races where he hasn’t scored heavily – Baku, Silverstone and Hungary have been no fault of his: but he’s kept his head and bounced back from all of those. I don’t think the pressure of the situation will affect him.

“He’s very easy to chat to and has a wide range of interests, which I think is very important for an F1 driver. If your only interest is F1, that can almost make it too important when the pressure comes on. Max has a very good balance in that respect.”

Red Bull has won six of the opening 11 races of the season and had been pulling clear of Mercedes in both world championships until its run of victories ended in dramatic fashion at Silverstone.

Newey believes Red Bull have already demonstrated it has what it takes to end Mercedes’ F1 dominance and has urged his side to keep on pushing throughout the remainder of the year.

“We have to be performing at the highest level in all areas of the business to try and overturn a seven-time world championship winning team, which I believe we have been doing,” Newey added.

“The last couple of races have been very painful for us after hitting a sweet spot over the France-Styria-Austria triple-header. It really does highlight how quickly things can change.

“Things were looking very good, particularly after the Austrian Grand Prix, and we had a decent points lead in the two championships: two races later we’re slightly behind in both which is more painful when it is through no fault of our own.

“That’s the nature – and the competitiveness – of the sport we’re in. We just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing.”