Verstappen welcomes Mercedes' resurgence as Ferrari loses championship ground

Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen says he welcomes Mercedes' resurgence as they have a better chance of taking points away from Ferrari.

The defending world champion enjoys a mammoth 80-point lead over the Scuderia's Charles Leclerc, following consecutive race wins before the current break.

Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton and George Russell earned podium finishes at those races in France and Hungary, and Verstappen is happy to see them competing at the front of the pack again.

"It's good that they are competitive because then they can steal more points off Ferrari!" said Verstappen, according to Sky Sports.

"So I'm very happy. They're doing very well."

Asked about his big lead in the Drivers' championship, Verstappen added: "Of course, it's a great lead. But we cannot have too many days like we had in qualifying (in Hungary).

"And even in the race, we had a few little issues with the clutch and the upshifts, which was not great to drive. Overall, of course, it's good, but we just keep on working, keep on trying to improve things."