Max Verstappen, Red Bull lead driver, personally feels that the current Formula 1 driver list have Hamilton’s competition.
Verstappen has expressed utmost respect for five time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. But he believes he is not the only one with the capacity to win world title.
Verstappen has been only one to become a threat to Mercedes over-shadowed season. He has asserted himself with his Red Bull by winning in Austria and Germany. He also dominated Hungarian Grand Prix but Hamilton was lucky that Mercedes strategy of another pit stop worked perfectly.
“I’m not purely focused on Lewis,” answered Verstappen in an interview to a media outlet.
“There are other great drivers in the paddock who can achieve similar things. Looking at the current grid, I think there are three or four drivers with the same capabilities.”
Unfortunately, Dutchman fell short of names when he was asked for Hamilton equivalent drivers.
Hamilton’s performance has been outstanding during his career. His talent has been acknowledged and was supported by his astonishing 81 grand prix wins.
However, Verstappen insisted that Hamilton has been lucky to be on Mercedes team. He considered victories associated to Hamilton to be based on equipment provided by the team in the past seasons.
“It’s car-dependent. I don’t think he’s had the pressure of a team-mate over the years,” said the 21-year-old.
“He should really have won it in 2016 as well if it wasn’t for engine failure.
“But after the summer break there were a few poor starts and stuff where he lost first place. But he never really had big pressure from his team-mates.”
Nico Rosberg, who won the world title in 2016 while driving for Mercedes, probably won’t agree absolutely with Verstappen on the matter.
Jos Verstappen, father of Max and former Formula 1 driver, is convinced that his son’s performance has broken the Hamilton’s spell.
“You can tell by the things Hamilton has been saying,” said Verstappen Snr.
“Why would he respond to rumours? He says that the Honda engine is better than Mercedes now, but I don’t think that’s the case on the straights.
“When you see what kind of races Max has been driving, I don’t think you can be surprised.”
