Max Verstappen ‘will not slip up’ in latest title pursuit : PlanetF1

While Max Verstappen won the 2022 title at a gallop and made a dominant start to F1 in 2023, Lewis Hamilton doesn’t think his former rival will take his eyes off the ball.

Hamilton knows the feeling of winning a world championship in a dominant way. Seasons like 2019 and 2020, for example, are proving to be relatively straightforward walks to his sixth and seventh career titles, respectively.

But now it is Verstappen who has endured such a situation after the Dutchman completed the 2022 drivers’ championship with four rounds remaining and won a record 15 out of 22 grands prix this season.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

And the rest of the grid now faces a major challenge to ensure F1 2023 doesn’t follow a similar path as Verstappen takes all the momentum to Saudi Arabia after a dominant start to the season in Bahrain.

However, after Verstappen said after his first title that whatever comes next is a bonus as that maiden crown was the realization of his goals, Hamilton was asked if there was any chance Verstappen could take the ball off the ball.

“I mean, I can’t really comment on Max,” Hamilton told media outlets like PlanetF1.com.

“I think it’s always possible as an athlete of course, once you’ve sealed it the pressure changes and it’s different. You can sleep more, you don’t have to push your workout so much because you have different results.

“But I think he’s going to be very, very confident.”

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Hamilton was then asked again if he saw a real risk that Verstappen could lower his level.

However, Hamilton doesn’t think that will be the case and expects Verstappen to remain fully focused and is therefore putting pressure on Hamilton’s Mercedes team to close the gap on the rampant Dutchman.

Mercedes desperately need a response in Saudi Arabia after Hamilton only managed P5 and George Russell P7 in Bahrain.

“No, I don’t think he’s going to make a mistake,” Hamilton confirmed. “He’s a world champion so I wouldn’t question his determination and focus.

“I think he will be just as focused as ever and it’s our job to catch up.”