Max Verstappen snubs Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes as F1 star names ‘most impressive’ rival

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have no shortage of rivals hoping to knock them off their perch with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc all lying in wait.

Max Verstappen has identified McLaren as the biggest threat to him and Red Bull in the upcoming year, overlooking Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team.

Despite Mercedes finishing second in the constructors’ standings and Hamilton’s exceptional performance throughout 2023, Verstappen believes McLaren’s progress from the beginning to the end of the season makes them the most likely British contender for next season, particularly with Lando Norris leading the charge.

Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull’s dominance this year allowed them to gain an advantage in developing their 2024 car, but he and team principal Christian Horner expect the performance gap to narrow as other teams improve.

Verstappen expressed his satisfaction with the incredible season they had, acknowledging that achieving the same win rate again may not be realistic.

The others are not unintelligent. They are all in the process of learning. Naturally, the longer the regulations remain the same, the closer they will come to us, as people start to comprehend the direction they need to progress in. Fortunately, we had a great start with the regulations in 2022, but I am certain that next year, everyone will definitely make progress towards us.

I cannot say which specific team, as the entire season has been a bit inconsistent for everyone except us. So, I am unsure which team will make the biggest leap during the winter. Hopefully, they will still remain behind, but we will find out in Bahrain.

Horner also mentioned, “I fully anticipate that with stable regulations and diminishing returns for us, as we reached the peak quicker than others, the field will come together… If you stay stagnant in this industry, you tend to regress. And I believe we have reached that peak faster than others. However, we are now experiencing diminishing returns.”