Max Verstappen threw the gauntlet down in 2023 as he registered an emphatic win percentage of 86.36%. None of his rivals came close to challenging him. Does that make him invincible? According to Ted Kravitz, at least three drivers on the grid would disagree with that notion, believing that they can beat the Dutchman in equal machinery.
The Sky Sports journalist mentioned these three drivers in his Ted’s Podbook. Kravitz said, as quoted by Formula Nitro, “Of course we would all love to see that, right? We would love to see [Lewis] Hamilton, [Fernando] Alonso, or Charles Leclerc in Red Bull with matching cars against Max Verstappen.”
This is a sentiment even Helmut Marko concurs upon. Back in July, Marko said in an interview with DAZN that only Hamilton or Alonso could match Verstappen in the same car. The Red Bull advisor did not mention Leclerc, probably due to his error-prone driving in the last two seasons.
Regardless, Kravitz’s what-if scenario is one worth manifesting. Given the lack of competition against Verstappen, either of these three drivers stepping up in equal machinery would be great for F1.
Hamilton even tried to stimulate some banter earlier in 2023 around the same. The Mercedes maestro stirred the pot by commenting on the lack of strong teammates Verstappen has had at Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled with words, not cars in 2023
At the Italian GP, Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports, “In my personal opinion, Valtteri and all of my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates that Max has had.” The seven-time champion cited all of his teammates’ names that include Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, and Nico Rosberg, and praised them as “very strong, very consistent”.
The Briton’s point was that Verstappen has not raced against any teammate of these levels. However, the Dutchman replied to this in his usual ruthless fashion. He said, “It’s not nice of Hamilton towards the teammates I had, but it is ironic that after that interview of his in Monza, many of my teammates were ahead of him in qualifying.”
About three months on from this exchange, there were rumors of Hamilton having had talks with Red Bull for a seat. Christian Horner claimed the Mercedes man approached him.
Upon this, Hamilton quickly falsified this statement, claiming it was vice versa. However, this could have been the perfect chance for the 38-year-old to give Verstappen some competition in equal machinery, had the move materialized.
The more unlikely it looks, the more fascinating is this prospect of Hamilton being Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. If it had any truthful grounds, it would have been an amazing resurgence of the duo’s rivalry.
