Dutch prodigy Max Verstappen has been hailed as the only driver that can stop Lewis Hamilton breaking Michael Schumacher’s world title record. The Mercedes driver just needs a top seven finish in the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix in order to clinch a fifth Drivers’ Championship with two races to spare.
That would move him level with Juan Manuel Fangio on five titles, behind only Schumacher, who earned seven throughout his glittering career, in the all-time stakes. The Brit now harbours genuine hopes of becoming the most decorated driver in F1 history, but Verstappen could throw a spanner in the works.
Former GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi said:
Max is much better than Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen is the only one who can beat Hamilton. He can cause panic in Lewis’ head. It is deadly sin that Max does not have a champion car. Now Hamilton is unbeatable because he has no competition.
Hamilton consistently outfoxed Vettel and Raikkonen of Ferrari throughout the season, and his Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, simply cannot match his pace.
But Valsecchi believes that in a decent car Verstappen could make up the gap and seriously challenge him for glory. The Dutchman continues to thrive, despite being lumbered with a limited car, and he is third in the betting for the Mexican Grand Prix among the best-reviewed betting websites. That puts him well ahead of Raikkonen, Bottas and Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo and it speaks volumes about the young man’s potential.
He has a lot of self-confidence. Max is a killer, always aggressive and very fast. You need that to become champion.
Valsecchi added that Mercedes should be desperate to hire Verstappen as an eventual successor to Hamilton, while Ferrari should sign him up if they harbour genuine aspirations of breaking the Brit’s dominance. Verstappen upped the ante this week by claiming he would have as many wins as Hamilton if he were blessed with such a strong car.
There is much speculation about Bottas’ future at Mercedes and former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos believes they should get rid of him and bring in youngster Esteban Ocon.
Maybe Mercedes are starting to think that they should put Ocon in that car. Yes, Hamilton is ruthless, but Bottas is 3 or 4 tenths behind in every race. Maybe Ocon can do better. There is certainly enough time to buy out Bottas’ contract, so it wouldn’t surprise me.
That might help Mercedes tick over for a couple of years, and Hamilton could well be level with Schumacher on seven Drivers’ Championship titles by the end of 2020. But then Verstappen’s contract will have run down and Mercedes will be compelled by the prospect of snapping him up. Valsecchi thinks it would be a great idea, and Verstappen is crying out for a car that is worthy of his talent, so it could be a match made in heaven. Wolff said he is a huge fan of the Dutchman and said “we should have a talk in 2021”.
But it seems unlikely that anyone will be able to stop Hamilton over the next couple of years. There are no major regulation changes until 2021, and that virtually guarantees him a car that will be capable of winning the championship in 2019 and 2020. He too is tied down to a contract that runs until the end of the 2020 season. Bottas does not cause discord in the team and he does not play the mind games favoured by Nico Rosberg.
A teammate like Verstappen could give Hamilton real problems, and it would be exciting to watch them go at it hammer and tong throughout a season. If he reaches seven titles by 2020, the Brit could be tempted by the idea of extending his contract for one more season in a bid to put forward a case as the greatest driver in history. If Verstappen were to join Mercedes then it could lead to a thrilling battle between a veteran star and a man who increasingly looks like the future of F1.
