(Motorsport) After winning back-to-back World Championships, Max Verstappen believes that winning the title in 2023 might be more challenging after insisting that Lewis Hamilton could be back in the title race if given a competitive car. The Dutchman has also backed Red Bull’s partnership with Ford from 2026, which was announced at the RB19 launch in New York. Verstappen enjoyed a very dominant 2022 Formula 1 season, winning 15 out of 22 races but believes that the upcoming season could be a more challenging one for himself.
Speaking about Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen said “He’s been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport, so for sure if he has the car to do it, he can fight for the title again. But that’s the same for George [Russell, Hamilton’s team-mate]. it’s the same for Charles [Leclerc, Ferrari], it’s the same for Lando [Norris, McLaren] – if you give them the car that’s capable of winning the championship, they can.
“But it’s also about when you have the car then the pressure comes that you cannot afford big mistakes. That’s a bit of a different pressure you have but I’m confident once these guys get onto a roll like that it is all possible, they all have talent to do so. You always try to go for it, but I don’t know if we’re going to be good enough. Of course as a team we believe we are, we are very motivated, we come off the back of a very strong year and we are working flat out to try and achieve that.”
The launch of RB19 also revealed that Ford will be returning to Formula 1 after two decades and will manufacture engines for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri for the 2026 season onwards. Verstappen, who has seen his team struggle with Renault engines before moving onto Honda, expressed his support for the Red Bull-Ford partnership. “I signed twice without actually fully knowing what was coming in terms of engines, and people said maybe that’s a crazy thing to do.
“I believed in the project and I believed that everyone involved would make the right decisions for the team. The first one they made going with Honda, I think that worked out really well and now for the future this is the next step – Ford in 2026 – and I believe in it. If we all believe in it, I’m sure we can create something really cool.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo has said that he is inspired by Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic, as the pair continue to win silverware despite being in their 30s. The 33 year old said “I was reading some of the things Nico Hulkenberg was saying with the time off and you saw how good it was for him. You saw Timo Glock have a pretty phenomenal season after some time off an F1 seat as well. When I was younger I used to be so rushed about ‘I need to be world champion.
“Time is running out, time is running out’ but your perspective changes over time and through age, so I’m not concerned about age because I know if that desire is there, I’ll put in the work and make it happen. I get on well with Max and Checo [Sergio Perez] so I’ll just be that ray of light in the room and help when I can.”
Also read: Formula 1: Red Bull Racing launch 2023 car and confirm Ford partnership
