(Motorsport) Having won nine out of 14 races so far, Max Verstappen is well on his way to clinch a second World Championship while Red Bull Racing could win their first Constructors Championship since 2013. The Dutch racing driver is 98 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, despite the two teams being almost equal in terms of performance but the Italian manufacturers have struggled with race strategy and reliability issues. 

When asked if Red Bull Racing could enter into an era of dominance, Hamilton said “The chances are very high that that's already happened. They are already on that path. It's going to be very tough for teams to close that gap. If your car is fast one year, it evolves into a faster car the next year, so the gap they have now will be very hard for anyone from third down to ever close in this cycle of car design. But we have won the last eight world titles. As a team, we've got amazing and talented engineers. I don't doubt they can. There are limitations with budget and wind tunnel and CFD time and we have to be very clear and precise in the direction we want to go and very efficient in our time." 

Hamilton also praised the Red Bull Racing staff by saying that “they are a great team and they've done an amazing job", particularly chief technical officer Adrian Newey. The seven time World Champion said “They have great aero balance. They've got great ride quality. He [Verstappen] doesn't ever have any problems with bumps. When you have a stable platform like that. They had a great car last year as well. Adrian Newey doesn't generally build bad cars. He has built amazing cars over the years. My first championship car was an evolution of one of his cars. I know he did his thesis on ground-effect floors so it is no surprise. He is one of the only ones who draws by hand. His understanding has been an advantage to them and they have done a great job." 

When Red Bull won their first F1 title in 2011, Hamilton had described them as “just a drinks company”. Clarifying those comments, Hamilton said “Anything I would have said in the past about the team… I didn't mean it in a negative way. A few years ago I said something about them being a drinks company and it was really just highlighting that you would bet on a car manufacturer more than them. But they've proved me wrong, and they've done a great job. Adrian obviously did his thesis on ground effect cars at university so it's no surprise what he's done this year. It's impressive. But I believe in the young guns in my team that we'll catch up." 

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