Ahead of what could be a historic weekend for Max Verstappen, arch-rival Lewis Hamilton has spoken about the Dutchman and his current dominance of Formula One.
The two-time World Champion from the Netherlands is going for a tenth consecutive win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza this Sunday afternoon.
Speaking about the dominance that Verstappen holds over the sport at the moment in an interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton does not see anything extra special compared to other great drivers he’s raced since 2007. Instead, the seven-time World Champion focused on the job the whole Red Bull team is doing right now.
“I am no more impressed than when Michael [Schumacher] was there and was leading, when Sebastian [Vettel] was leading, when Kimi [Räikkönen] was driving, when Fernando [Alonso] was winning. It’s the same.
“I think the team as a whole is one of the strongest… they’re firing on all cylinders right now.
“The car is incredible. The driver [Verstappen] is doing an amazing job. Very consistent. The pit crew are doing a great job, the mechanics are doing a good job, the strategy [team] is doing a good job, on point. You can’t fault them.”
The topic then turned to the quality of teammates Verstappen has had since his debut in Formula One. The Dutchman has gone up against Sainz, Ricciardo, Gasly, Albon and Pérez to date, with Hamilton facing off against Alonso, Kovalainen, Button, Rosberg, Bottas and Russell.
As well as naming all the world champions he’s gone up against in the same car as stronger teammates than any Verstappen has ever had, the 103-time Grand Prix winner also namechecked former Finnish stablemate Valtteri Bottas in that category as well.
“In my personal opinion, Valtteri [Bottas] and actually all my teammates have been stronger than the teammates Max [Verstappen] has had.
“Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], George [Russell], Valtteri [Bottas], Nico [Rosberg]. These guys have all been very very strong, very consistent, and Max is not racing against anyone like that.”
Photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool
