Max Verstappen insists Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes CAN challenge for F1 title

Max Verstappen has claimed that Lewis Hamilton could be a real challenger for the Formula One title this season.

The Red Bull star is the man to beat after clinching his second straight championship by a wide margin last season.

That dominance continued in pre-season testing, with Christian Horner’s team the clear favorites to retain their title, but Verstappen insisted that Mercedes rivals Hamilton and George Russell could be tough opponents.

On the eve of the new season, he said: ‘I don’t rule out Lewis and Mercedes. They have a different philosophy and it might take a little longer to get there.

‘With these new cars, we don’t know which direction is going to give the most room in terms of where to improve.

‘Maybe at one point, we stagnate, I don’t know. Maybe they still have a lot of untapped potential.

Mercedes, which won seven titles in a row, six with Hamilton, before Verstappen’s double, struggled in testing in Bahrain last week, suggesting it is in for another challenging year.

In 2022, the constructor suffered massively with the ‘porpoise’ effect causing the cars to bounce, with the Brit finishing sixth after bearing the brunt of mid-season adjustments, and his new team-mate Russell finishing fourth.

Mercedes’ W14 car this season has fixed the porpoise problem, but it is still expected to be off the pace compared to the Red Bulls, with Verstappen expected to have a lead of half a second per lap across the grid.

The team has brought a modified rear wing to the Bahrain GP this weekend.

Russell, 25, finishing ahead of veteran Hamilton, 37, led some to claim the latter was past his prime as a driver, but Verstappen dismissed that idea.

He added: “I think in F1 age is not like losing a bit of rhythm.

“I think Fernando (Alonso, still on the grid at the age of 41) shows that it is definitely possible to continue at the top.”