Hamilton: “Verstappen can be a title contender”

Opposed to his teammate at Mercedes Nico Rosberg during the first three seasons of the V6 turbo/hybrid Power Units era, Lewis Hamilton saw the competition change in 2017 with the return to the forefront of Ferrari as well as Sebastian Vettel.

The German led the championship for a long time, but the last part of the season did not smile on the four-time world champion. The opportunity also to see Max Verstappen et Red Bull Racing show themselves to their advantage, as in Malaysia, where the Dutchman had brilliantly won, or even in Mexico.

The Red Bull Racing – Max Verstappen tandem could thus constitute a serious opponent in 2018 according to Hamilton. " He can be a title contender, comments the Briton on Sky Sports F1.

His abilities are fantastic and we've all seen that with the car he drives and the great team he plays with. »

Consistency in performance

Verstappen will, however, have to benefit from greater mechanical reliability in his future car Red Bull powered by the block Renault, who had seven abandonments last year. Technical problems that Cyril Abiteboul, director of Renault Sport Racing, explained recently (see Ah n°2144).

“We are potentially at the forefront of what can be done on the subject (hybridization), explains the French manager. What we still lack is better knowledge of the use and operation of these accessories to better understand the performance-reliability compromise. The items themselves are very good. »