Lewis Hamilton given bleak title verdict in desperate bid to stop Max Verstappen

07 December 2023 , 06:00

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Max Verstappen can't stop winning - and his streak could go on for a while yet (Image: AP)

Max Verstappen could remain unchallenged until the next major change of Formula 1 car rules, Johnny Herbert has warned.

The Dutchman secured his third consecutive drivers' title this year. And it was the most straightforward of the lot with no other car on the grid even close to the RB19 for race pace.

Red Bull have been the dominant force on the grid for the past two seasons. The Milton Keynes-based squad adapted quickest to the design regulation changes that came into effect for the 2022 campaign and have not looked back since.

None of their rivals have been able to find a solution to close the performance gap in a meaningful way. And Herbert thinks that could remain the case until new engine rules are introduced - but that is still two more full seasons away.

"The only thing that might stop his domination is the rule changes coming in in 2026," Herbert told Lucky Block. But the former Sky Sports F1 pundit went on to express his belief that Verstappen will struggle next season to be quite as dominant as he was this term.

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He added: "Red Bull are starting to come under pressure from other teams. Everybody is getting closer. Let's hope by the start of next season we will have a battle royal. The positive thing for race fans is that McLaren have been able to do what they've done. We will have a much closer pack. Max is not going to have the same domination next year. He is going to have to work at it."

Lewis Hamilton will hope to be one of those taking the fight to Verstappen and Red Bull next year. The seven-time world champion did not win a race with either of his most recent two Mercedes cars and will wait with bated breath to see what the team presents him with for 2024.

Mercedes stuck with their 'zeropod' concept for the start of this year but quickly binned it for a more familiar aerodynamic design. Team principal Toto Wolff is proud of his team for being brave enough to go with the design they did this year and, even though the W15 is expected to look more normal, the Austrian hinted his team may have some tricks up their sleeves.

He said: "I think we were bold and courageous to embark on the road with such a car. That was a different concept that nobody else had had before and it didn't work. I think it's as simple as that. It's physics and not mystics. Next year's car is going to be more conventional in what you would expect from a Formula 1 car, but there are a few interesting details that we have not seen on other cars yet.

"Every year that is not easy is part of a learning curve that makes you better afterwards. I wish we would have competed for the world championship but that wasn’t the case. So we are looking forward to next year. All sails are set for 2024. We take the learnings and there is more analysis that we're doing, but it's about the new car, it's about the organisation."

Daniel Moxon