Max Verstappen’s title rivals – together with Lewis Hamilton – have “obvious flaws”, it has been claimed.
Hamilton’s change from Mercedes to Ferrari provides a brand new dimension to the F1 2025 drivers’ title battle, as Verstappen goals for a fifth in a row.
However Purple Bull have slipped behind McLaren within the growth struggle for F1’s quickest automobile so Lando Norris might even have his say.
Sky Sports activities’ Martin Brundle claimed Hamilton, even a number of % in need of perfection on account of age, might nonetheless battle on the entrance which our specialists agree with.
“I believe so,” Lewis Larkam advised the Crash F1 podcast.
“Hamilton’s season final yr was poor by his normal however it will’ve been, for many drivers, their peak.
“It’s exhausting to say definitively if Hamilton is on the downwards slope, if he’s already reached a peak.
“We’ve got seen indicators that there are areas the place he has misplaced an edge.
“This season will likely be a fairer reflection of that, as a result of we’ll see if it was the Mercedes.
“Would a 97%, 98% Hamilton nonetheless be adequate to win the championship? I believe he’s, but when he’s up in opposition to a 100% Max Verstappen…
“Assuming Purple Bull repair their points and if they’ve a really aggressive automobile, it is going to be extremely tough for anybody to beat Verstappen this season.
“However Hamilton, even at 99% or 98%, continues to be the driving force who can take it to Verstappen over the course of the season.
“There are nonetheless questions over the others. Lando Norris? Final season was his most profitable and strongest but, however there have been errors and query marks about his mentality.
“We didn’t see Norris v Verstappen over the course of the season.
“The one driver we’ve had that gauge with is Hamilton v Verstappen in 2021.
“Hamilton at 98% will likely be in rivalry for the championship.”
‘Obvious flaws’ of Max Verstappen’s title rivals
“The drivers behind Verstappen all have obvious flaws, and now we have to incorporate Hamilton in that,” Connor McDonagh mentioned.
“We’ve talked about his qualifying, but in addition his race craft these days isn’t what it was.
“He’s much less aggressive, extra conservative. That has professionals when you could have the perfect automobile, and also you’ve received to get it over the road, and take much less danger.
“However once you’re decrease in qualifying, he’s much less conservative. “He’s used to racing on the entrance with Mercedes.
“That’s the large query mark round Hamilton.
“Even when you take away 2024 – simply in 2022 and 2023, his race tempo was excellent whereas qualifying was extra hit or miss.
“These inconsistencies, Verstappen doesn’t actually have.
“However, it’s Hamilton, and in six months I don’t wish to appear like a idiot!”
