Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been arch-rivals since the turbo-hybrid era. In the cost cap era, the rivalry has taken a different turn. During the turbo-hybrid period, Mercedes and Hamilton were unbeatable. But it seems in the new cost cap era, Red Bull has taken the place of being invincible. Clearly, the former is trying its best to build a championship-winning car and has fallen far behind its arch-rivals.
Nonetheless, Hamilton and Verstappen have got a lot of respect for each other. Lewis is looking to win the coveted eighth driver’s title that would make him the ultimate F1 champion. But he knows pretty well how difficult it is to beat the Dutchman. After the opening races for both driver’s and constructor’s titles, the Mercedes finished as the fourth fastest car on the grid.
Hamilton Thinks Max Is Keen On Dominating This Season As Well
As expected, the RB19 proved to be the fastest. But again, it is just the beginning of the new season. Moreover, Mercedes is well aware of their car’s condition at present. They may have a lot of plans for making changes in Imola, Italy. But the question is, what if gets too late and makes not much difference? Hence the German Racing team needs to come up with a firm plan for redemption.
Lewis Hamilton feels that the current double-time world champion will be tough to catch up to, but it is their job to try. Last season Max Verstappen had it too easy over the other drivers winning 15 out of 22 GPs. In a recent interview, the seven-time winner mentioned that Max also looks like dominating this season. When asked whether Verstappen’s concentration can be flexible, Hamilton replied that he does not think there is a chance for that to happen.
Lewis Hamilton Feels Max Verstappen Must Not Take Eye Off The Ball
Hamilton obviously knows what it feels like to win the titles back-to-back. So with that experience, he said, “Verstappen is a world champion. Nobody should question his focus and determination.” Hamilton added that he is sure the Dutchman will be eager to have a firm grip on the P1 as long as the car is working fine. In Formula One, the car plays the most crucial role. Lewis Hamilton does not see Max Verstappen drop his focus even a little bit. But knows that Mercedes has a lot to catch up to. The gap between the Dutchman & the Briton is 15 points. It is a pretty significant gap between title contenders.
Albeit, Mercedes knows they are not quite there for title contention yet. After the opening race, it is Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Ferrari who has the fastest car on the grid at the moment. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished at P5 and P7, respectively, at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The W14 car has not helped the Silver Arrows to start as well as they would have liked. But the team will try to forget what happened in Bahrain and shift their focus entirely to the next Grand Prix. The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix will occur on March 19.
