After a record-breaking run in 2023, Max Verstappen entered this year’s season full of confidence. Many deemed him the favorite to win his fourth consecutive title this year and so did he. However, the prediction that the Dutchman got completely wrong was of his longtime rival Lewis Hamilton.
“Top three in the championship: one, myself, then Lewis, then Charles (Leclerc)”, Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay when asked to give his predictions for the 2024 season. The Red Bull driver was right about his own prediction as he won his fourth consecutive championship this year, with two race weekends to spare.
#F1 | Max Verstappen shares his 2024 Season Predictions with viaplay.
“Top 3 in the Championship. 1 myself then Lewis [Hamilton], then Charles [Leclerc].” pic.twitter.com/bF1pqFtvy5
— deni (@fiagirly) March 3, 2024
Verstappen’s prediction about Hamilton could not be more wrong as the Briton finds himself seventh in the championship with just 208 points, a whopping 195 points behind the Dutch driver. Meanwhile, when it comes to Leclerc, Verstappen’s prediction could be bang on again.
The Monegasque is currently third in the championship with 319 points, a comfortable 51 points clear of fourth-placed Oscar Piastri. With Lando Norris only 21 points ahead of him, Leclerc will hope that he can have a strong end to the campaign and snatch second place from the McLaren driver, who at one stage was deemed the favorite to win this year’s title, considering the pace of the car underneath him.
Verstappen likely to modify his predictions for 2025
While Verstappen is likely to keep himself as the favorite for even next year’s championship, he could change the rest of his predictions for the top three, considering how the 2024 campaign panned out. With McLaren emerging with probably the most dominant car, the Dutchman may include Norris and Piastri in his top three predictions for next season.
With three wins and a total of 12 podiums, Norris by far had his best F1 season this year. However, considering that he had plenty more opportunities to win even more races — that he failed to win because of mistakes on his part — the Briton hopes that he can work on them and bring the fight to Verstappen next season.
Likewise, Piastri also had an outstanding campaign this year. After winning his maiden Grand Prix in Hungary, he also went on to win in Azerbaijan, a race that tested his mettle, with Leclerc pressurizing him lap after lap.
