Max Verstappen snubs Lewis Hamilton and picks new main F1 rival after Qatar Grand Prix

After the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen chooses a new primary F1 rival and ignores Lewis Hamilton.

More convincing proof was offered by the Qatar Grand Prix to show that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are no longer in danger from Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes this season.

As he named McLaren as the main threat to his Formula 1 hegemony, Max Verstappen ignored Mercedes.

Actually, nobody has been able to match the Dutchman this year.
Because of this, he was able to win his third straight drivers’ championship following the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, with six regular races and two more Sprints remaining in 2023.

Ferrari is right behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. And Lewis Hamilton, who is vying for second place with Sergio Perez who is struggling, is third in the drivers’ standings, behind the two Red Bull racers.

However, the race in Qatar showed yet again that Verstappen is no longer in danger from Hamilton and his Mercedes team.
Not to mention Fernando Alonso at the Aston Martin, teammate George Russell, or any of the Ferrari drivers.

Oscar Piastri came in second place, behind Verstappen, and Lando Norris came in third, giving McLaren a second consecutive double podium. That was the day after Piastri defeated Verstappen to capture the most points ever from an F1 practice, winning the Sprint race from the pole.

The Dutchman claimed in a post-race interview that he could no longer deny that McLaren has replaced Red Bull as Red Bull’s main rival as a result of the team’s enormous improvements over the course of the season.
When compared to the teams that were behind us, he said, “I do believe that they are probably the most consistent.”.

Furthermore, I believe that of all of them, they have the strongest driver lineup. They are performing extremely well, so it will be interesting to see where everyone is at the end of the year and, I believe, at the beginning of the following one.
“.

McLaren is still ranked fifth in the constructors’ standings, but another strong performance means they are catching up to those at the top.
In addition to having Aston Martin in their sights, Norris is not ruling out his team’s chances of passing Ferrari before the season is out because the gap to the Italians has shrunk to just 79 points.

“It’s feasible. I believe so,” he said in regards to the possibility.
“Aston was 70 or so a few races ago. I believe we’re simply doing a good job, despite Fernando’s claim that we are overconfident. Not just in terms of pace, but today we had a 1.8-second pit stop, which is pretty impressive from the guys; they’ve been working really hard, so to reward the entire team consistently is only more motivating and a bigger boost every weekend.

“They enjoy the flavor of achievement.
They’re getting it for the first time on a regular basis, and I believe that only makes them want it more and more every weekend.
The guys are doing a great job, so keep up the good work. I believe that we are both working hard.
We’ll continue it, then.
“.