“I hope [Max] Verstappen manages it”– Mercedes boss wants Lewis Hamilton to lose championship fight against Red Bull ace

Hubert Haupt, who runs three Mercedes cars in DTM, wants Max Verstappen to win the championship in 2021 against Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton has named the turbo-hybrid era in his name, only once someone else except him has won the championship in this phase. But Max Verstappen is closest to dethroning him from the reigning world champion tag.

The anti-incumbency against Hamilton is so colossal that even allies want the Red Bull ace to win. Hubert Haupt, the boss of three Mercedes cars competing in DTM, wishes for Verstappen to win.

Though Haupt has maintained that his relations with Mercedes are only exclusive to DTM. Otherwise, he is an independent entity. Nevertheless, it is a huge acknowledgement for the Dutch sensation.

“I think it’s time for someone other than (Lewis) Hamilton to become world champion,” Haupt said to Sport1. “In terms of Formula 1, it would be huge for Red Bull to win the title, so I hope Verstappen manages it.

“There are still a few more circuits that suit Mercedes, but if Max scores well in the next two races, he will have the nerve to hang onto it.”

Also read: Ferrari claims Mexico will give them a boost against McLaren

Lewis Hamilton losing grip slowly

Verstappen’s victory in the last race meant Hamilton’s deficit against the 24-year-old would extend to 12 points. Now, both Mexico and Brazil are touted to be Red Bull’s stronghold.

If the Milton-Keynes-based outfit manages to outclass Mercedes at the two venues, then it would be challenging for the Briton to bounce back. After Brazil, the F1’s entourage will travel to Qatar, debuting in F1 this year.

So hardly any team has any fair idea about the track. Therefore, Hamilton can’t rely on Qatar or even Saudi Arabia, which is also debuting this year.

Though, Mercedes is reportedly optimizing its car according to the track in Mexico and would try to vie at its best against Red Bull.

Also read: Mercedes AMG GTR Safety Car to make a return to Formula 1 at the Mexican Grand Prix

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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