Lewis Hamilton has Max Verstappen suspicion after studying F1 rival’s data

Max Verstappen dominated his class on the 2023 F1 grid with Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were powerless to stop them.

Lewis Hamilton suspects Max Verstappen has only dominated this year because it’s easy for him to “relax at the front”.

The Dutchman has the fastest car on the grid this year, meaning only Sergio Perez is equipped to battle his team-mate. And despite a strong start to the season, he soon proved unable to do so.

Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, and the rest of the team had to watch Verstappen’s pursuit of victory and record breaking. The British Red Bull driver believes he failed the test after checking his opponent’s data.

“You can see Max’s times and some data,” he told the BBC. “Sometimes the face gets cold. I don’t think it sweated last year. “When I watched him in Austin (Hamilton was one second behind Verstappen and was subsequently disqualified) I don’t think he broke a sweat. I think he had it under control.” “And when you’re in a position to run and back out, the car keeps going. The wheels last longer and are in a better position so it’s nice to be there. In the end, they did a great job, worked hard and deserved it.”

Although many of his single-season records have now been set by Verstappen, Hamilton still has a lot to show for his career. The Dutch Mercedes star still has a long way to go to claim seven world championships and 103 wins, but at just 26, time is on his side. Former Sky Sports F1 pundit Johnny Herbert believes Verstappen will overtake his rival, but warned Red Bull’s dominance will not last forever. “Max is obviously the only way to do it, but Red Bull can achieve what Mercedes achieved in their dominant era, winning championships with Nico (Rosberg) and Lewis,” he said. Can we keep it up? I think they have a good chance. Is there still time before the rules change for sure in 2026? They are in a very good, strong position, but I think we always come back to a certain level and we are able to improve a little bit from year to year or over a period of time. Enough time. ‘Tis the season, but everyone is starting to catch up. “This will reduce your time of dominance, current win percentage and chances of winning the championship.”