Hamilton has endured two winless seasons since being controversially defeated by Verstappen in the race for the 2021 crown, whereas the three-time World Champion has featured on the top step of the podium 34 times.

Verstappen is very much the dominant driver currently in F1 and has a genuine chance of surpassing Hamilton’s record-breaking 103 wins, if his superiority continues for the next few years.

Unless Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren improve enough to topple Red Bull, then Verstappen’s dominance will go on.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Mercedes are doing all they can to stop Red Bull in 2024 by starting from scratch, after introducing two failed concept designs the last two years.

An entirely new concept will be introduced by the Silver Arrows ahead of pre-season testing, with the hope being that Hamilton and George Russell will have a car at their disposal which can finally challenge for victories on a regular basis.

If Mercedes’ 2024 car is good, then Albers expects Hamilton to compete for the crown against Verstappen, as the seven-time World Champion is the only driver in his opinion who can “perform consistently” and “manage his tyres” as well as the Red Bull driver.

There’s no doubting that Hamilton still has the talent to compete with Verstappen, despite the fact he’ll be 39 years old when the new season gets underway.

It does all largely depend on Mercedes having a positive off-season though, which is why as a “neutral observer”, Albers is hopeful that the Germans have a strong car.

“For the neutral observer, I hope that Mercedes will come with a better car in 2024,” Albers said in his column for De Telegraaf.

READ: Lewis Hamilton ‘one-upped’ by George Russell

“Because if you look purely at the qualities of the current drivers, I think Lewis Hamilton is the only one who can come close to Verstappen.

“I am mainly talking about the quality of being able to perform consistently and be very stable in lap times during a race.

“Just like Verstappen, Hamilton is someone who can manage his tyres wonderfully. Assessing certain situations, feeling the rubber; in that respect they are alone.”

The post Lewis Hamilton ‘the only one’ capable of defeating Max Verstappen appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Horner and Marko have led Red Bull since they entered F1 in 2005, with the duo having gone onto create one of the strongest teams in the history of the sport.

After Red Bull sealed both titles in 2023, Red Bull now have 13 championships to their name; however, the tension amongst the camp has seemingly never been higher.

The recently completed season was filled with rumours of Horner trying to oust Marko, who celebrated his 80th birthday during the campaign.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Horner has quashed the rumours and has stressed that he’s not trying to remove Marko, something which Max Verstappen has insisted would result in him leaving as well.

Verstappen is very fond of Marko and has vouched to leave the team if he is ever ousted, a factor to consider for Red Bull.

Marko himself has noted that Horner will never decide when it’s his time to leave the team, as that decision will only be made by himself.

If Horner isn’t going to try and remove Marko, then what triggered all the speculation?

Albers thinks it all started with the tragic death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed on the weekend of the 2022 United States Grand Prix.

Marko and Mateschitz were very close friends; however, the co-founder’s death resulted in a huge power struggle.

It opened up a chance for a new leader, which in return has led to an “ego battle” between Horner and Marko, in Albers’ eyes.

“The moment that dramatic event happened was also the first moment I said that we would have this ego battle,” Albers told RTL GP magazine.

Despite Horner constantly rejecting the rumours linking him with wanting more power at Red Bull, Albers is convinced that he has a goal of “ruling alone” at the Austrians.

READ: Christian Horner and Toto Wolff embrace

The Red Bull boss is believed to be having a say on management decisions at sister side AlphaTauri, who are set to complete a huge rebrand.

For many, Horner making his presence known at AlphaTauri is a way of increasing his leadership status.

“Horner has this focus on ruling alone, and we can tell now that he is working to attain that position,” Albers believes.

The post Helmut Marko warned: ‘Christian Horner has this focus on ruling alone’ appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Perez’s future was a huge talking point during the recently completed season, as his poor mid-campaign performances raised doubts over if he could support the team going forwards.

It led to suggestions that Red Bull would opt to not respect the Mexican driver’s contract for 2024 and instead get Ricciardo back into the team.

This hasn’t happened, as Red Bull have stressed that Perez’s deal will be honoured; however, the door hasn’t been completely closed on Ricciardo.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

It was confirmed at the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this year that Ricciardo had been given a full-time seat at AlphaTauri for 2024, as the team were impressed with how he’d done since replacing Nyck de Vries.

As a result of Ricciardo being retained alongside Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson has been left on the bench for another season.

The whole situation does appear slightly odd, given that AlphaTauri are viewed as Red Bull’s junior team, yet it’s them who’ll be fielding the oldest driver.

At 34 years old, Ricciardo is older than both Verstappen and Perez and is certainly not a junior driver, whilst at 21 years old, Lawson very much is.

Albers believes AlphaTauri giving Ricciardo a full-time deal is part of Horner’s plan to get the Australian driver back into Red Bull to replace Perez, something which some have suggested could happen mid-season if Checo struggles.

This would then make sense as to why Lawson has been kept as reserve driver, given that Ricciardo would then leave a space open at AlphaTauri.

READ: Christian Horner and Toto Wolff embrace

Albers doesn’t think Perez would accept a demotion to AlphaTauri if replaced by Ricciardo, as his “ego is too big”.

“I have the feeling that Horner is clearly trying to get Ricciardo next to Max (Verstappen) again,” Albers told RTL GP Magazine, “even though (Sergio) Perez has a watertight contract.

“That’s why they’re keeping (Liam) Lawson in the background, because Perez’s ego is too big to go back to Alpha Tauri.”

The post Christian Horner ‘clearly trying’ to sign Daniel Ricciardo appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Ahead of last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Horner bizarrely revealed to the Daily Mail that a representative of Hamilton’s contacted him earlier this season, to enquire about a possible switch to Red Bull.

This was immediately denied by Hamilton, who asked every member of his team if they spoke to the Red Bull boss.

It was later confirmed that Hamilton’s father, Anthony, spoke to Horner; however, he’s not been part of the seven-time World Champion’s management team since 2010.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

The only communication Hamilton has had with Horner himself, is when he sent a congratulatory message to Horner after discovering a message from the Red Bull boss on his old phone.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff criticised Horner for making it sound like Hamilton wanted to leave, whilst Albers noted that it was no way for a person in Horner’s position to behave.

“You know whether it happened or not, that is actually secretly not relevant at all,” Albers told De Telegraaf.

“What is relevant is the professionalism you have to exude as a team. If you have such a big team under your belt and you are team boss there with such good results, you don’t need this at all.”

Looking to the future, Albers wonders if Horner’s actions will stop drivers competing for a top team having discussions with the likes of Red Bull, in fear of it potentially being leaked.

The situation certainly hasn’t put Horner in a good light as he’s been less than “classy”, with Albers expecting other drivers to now “watch out”.

“I think it’s just not done. Long story short: I just find it very unprofessional,” insisted Albers.

READ: Alain Prost reacts to ‘negative’ Max Verstappen claim

“You have to make sure you are classy and that this stays within the living rooms. You shouldn’t bring things like this out, because now other drivers do watch out, they will think twice if they are with a team like Ferrari or Mercedes or another top team and they start talking to another team.”

Given that Red Bull already have two drivers contracted for 2024, why Horner decided to share the story with the Daily Mail is a bit of a conundrum.

Some have pondered whether it was to gain some attention or to perhaps put more pressure on Mercedes to give Hamilton a better car.

The post Christian Horner slammed as ‘unprofessional’ after Lewis Hamilton leak appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Perez’s contract with Red Bull is set to run until the end of the 2024 season. 

However, recent performances have sparked speculation about his future with the team, following two consecutive underwhelming outings, finishing P8 in Singapore and enduring a retirement in Japan, compounded by costly penalties.

Albers expressed his astonishment at Perez’s continued presence within the team, especially in light of Red Bull’s history of swift driver changes. 

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Earlier in the season, Nyck de Vries was promptly replaced after a less-than-satisfactory start.

“Even though he can look at Max’s data, he is unable to improve and close the gap,” Albers commented in the Telegraaf podcast. 

“The gap is, in fact, only increasing. 

“At some point, they’ll see it’s impossible to keep justifying this. 

“The story will have to end somewhere.”

Albers highlighted the seemingly contrasting treatment of drivers within the Red Bull stable, stating, “If you see how destructive Horner and Marko were towards De Vries, it actually amazes me that they continue to keep Perez.”

Nyck de Vries had initially joined AlphaTauri to partner Yuki Tsunoda for the 2023 season after an impressive showing at Monza in 2022.

 However, he was quickly replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after just 10 races due to performance concerns.

Red Bull has a history of mid-season driver changes, with notable instances being Daniil Kvyat’s replacement by Max Verstappen in 2016 and Pierre Gasly’s swap for Alex Albon in 2019.

While there has been speculation about Perez’s future with the team, Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has expressed his intention to retain Perez until his contract’s conclusion in 2024. 

However, he has also indicated that the team remains open to exploring other options when the time comes.

“At Red Bull Racing, we want the best two drivers that are available,” Horner stated. “Checo [Perez] is out of contract at the end of ’24, and so you want to explore and see all of those options. 

“Checo is in the hot seat at the moment and will obviously be keen to extend. 

READ: Why Williams aren’t interested in AlphaTauri loan offer

“We’ll see how Daniel does, we’ll see how Yuki does, and, in the background, we’ll see what Liam is capable of in the test and reserve role.”

Sergio Perez faces increasing pressure in the drivers’ championship, with Lewis Hamilton closing in on his second-place position. 

The scrutiny on Perez is set to intensify at the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, where his teammate Max Verstappen aims to secure his third consecutive drivers’ championship.

The post ‘Impossible’ for Red Bull to keep Sergio Perez in 2024 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Following much speculation, it was announced at Red Bull’s launch of their 2023 car last Friday that they would be entering a technical partnership with American manufacturer Ford from 2026.

Many saw this as a punch in the face to Honda, given that the manufacturer are still Red Bull’s partner until the end of 2025.

Whilst Red Bull run under the ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ department, their engines are effectively based on Honda’s, in what is a confusing relationship.

READ: F1 team braced for ‘criminal consequences’ after revealing 2023 car

Despite having left the sport at the end of 2021, Honda continued to work with Red Bull during 2022, before officially announcing a return to the sport at their home Grand Prix in Japan.

As well as that, Honda announced that they’d be entering the 2026 championship as an engine supplier, despite the fact that Red Bull are going to supply their own.

With this in mind, Honda will need to find a new team to partner with from 2026 onwards, in order to remain in the sport.

“Red Bull stole people from Mercedes to make that Honda engine better,” Albers told De Telegraaf.

“Red Bull may be building an engine for the first time, but Honda are still involved. It’s putting a sticker on it.”

Given how successful Red Bull’s and Honda’s partnership has been over recent years, many can’t get their heads around why the duo are separating.

Albers believes Red Bull became “tired” of negotiating with Honda, with the Japanese manufacturer, as mentioned, having left the sport momentarily before suddenly returning.

“I think they just got tired of those negotiations. Honda was so indecisive,” Albers said.

“Honda decided to pull the plug and yet now they’re back again. I think Red Bull was just sick of that.”

2023 is going to be a challenging year for Red Bull given that they’ve still got virtually nine months of their wind tunnel ban to serve, following their breach of the 2021 budget cap.

Red Bull were awarded a 10-percent reduction in wind tunnel time for 12 months, which is expected to cause some issues for the Austrians; however, Albers believes they’ll be just fine.

Red Bull is a rich team,” Albers added.

READ: Revealed: This is why Max Verstappen looked very fit at Red Bull launch

“They have enough budget.

“Yes there is a budget cap, but there are still quite a few exceptions. There is still quite a lot that can be done.

“Like Mercedes, they can reshuffle things a bit with the engine department now. They can mess around quite a bit.”

The post ‘Red Bull was just sick of that’: Reason for Honda divorce revealed appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

On the bright side, the Scuderia went from a potential podium challenge in 2021 to a team capable of consistently winning races the year later, however it has been suggested that the team unachieved under the new regulations.

Ferrari boasted the fastest car at the start of the season and took a strong lead in both championships, spearheaded by Charles Leclerc’s victories, however a series of tactical blunders from the team saw Red Bull streak clear and claim both titles.

Strategy errors and reliability issues saw the team struggle to hang on to second place despite looking like early title favourites and after the pressure ramped up for Ferrari to sack team principal Mattia Binotto, the Swiss took the difficult decision to resign.

READ: Major rumour emerges about Red Bull’s 2023 car

Former F1 driver Christijan Albers has slammed the Scuderia for allowing their boss to leave, hinting that the problems at Ferrari are much deeper rooted than just their leader.

“I find it incomprehensible that Ferrari has parted ways with Binotto,” Albers told De Telegraaf.

“Okay, officially he quit himself, but everyone knows how it works. I feel that a scapegoat was sought and someone’s head had to be taken off. Then you quickly end up with the team boss.

“Still, Binotto has been instrumental in making Ferrari competitive again. Everyone forgets how bad that team was roughly a year ago.”

After reportedly targeting Christian Horner to replace Binotto, Ferrari eventually appointed Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur as their new boss, having initially favoured a more high-profile signing.

READ: Nico Rosberg rubs salt into Lewis Hamilton’s wound after George Russell impresses

The Frenchman’s signing has been met with a lot of positivity from Ferrari fans, who believe that Vasseur can take them one step further in 2023 and end the team’s title drought.

Despite the Frenchman’s impressive CV, Albers has warned fans that Vasseur may not be as good as he seems, reminding them of a story from his days with Sauber.

“Many people wax lyrical about him, but it is conveniently forgotten than on his first day at Sauber he single-handedly botched the impending deal with engine supplier Honda. And we all know how much success they have had with Red bull in recent years,” he said.

The team will be hoping that they can take advantage of Red Bull’s reduction in testing time this year, as 2023 may present the best opportunity yet for the team to topple the energy drink giants.

The post ‘His head had to be taken off’: Ferrari blasted for Mattia Binotto move appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Nobody could’ve predicted what would’ve gone down at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Verstappen defied team orders and refused to help Pérez, by giving the Mexican back the position he gave to the double World Champion.

The dramatic event resulted in Pérez admitting that the 25-year-old had shown “who he really is”, with the result having potentially cost the 32-year-old second in the Drivers’ Championship.

Going into the season finale, Charles Leclerc and Pérez are level on points; however, the Ferrari driver sits in P2 due to having won three races this season, compared to Pérez’s two.

READ: Ex-F1 champion calls for change at Ferrari as he makes ’embarrassing’ comment

Ex-F1 driver Christijan Albers is certain that “there is something personal” between Pérez and Verstappen, with it believed to be a rumour that Pérez crashed on purpose in Q3 at the Monaco Grand Prix to stop the Dutch driver claiming pole.

“Between Verstappen and Perez there is something personal,” Albers said.

“I understand that Verstappen may have his reasons and his principles, but a driver of his calibre should not behave like that.

“He had the chance to make his contribution to the team’s double in the classification and he made his choice.

“Was it worth it? He should have proved himself superior. Perez didn’t show much class either, his radio attack on Verstappen’s nature is a low blow.”

There is no doubt that Verstappen defying team orders is a huge sign of disrespect to the team and Pérez, no matter whether the pair get on or not.

Pérez has played a pivotal role in helping Verstappen claim his titles in 2021 and 2022, with his defending at the season finale last year being unforgettable.

READ: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez ‘shake hands’ after personal drama

Albers does think, though, that it’s “hard to find” someone as talented as Verstappen who will follow everything he’s told.

“It’s hard to find a driver who does exactly what you say, he’s great in every situation in front of the microphones, he’s great in the car and he wins world titles,” said Albers.

“There will always be edges.”

The post Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have a ‘personal’ feud appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Tensions appeared to boil over at Interlagos on Sunday for the double World Champion, after he blatantly defied team orders.

Verstappen had endured a challenging Brazilian GP, following early race contact with Lewis Hamilton, which dropped him to the foot of the field.

He did well to fight his way through the field, where in the closing stages he found himself behind team-mate Sergio Pérez.

READ: Lewis Hamilton says Abu Dhabi GP was ‘manipulated’, apologises to German driver

Pérez, as usual, allowed the Dutchman past; however, Red Bull told Verstappen that if he couldn’t pass either Fernando Alonso or Charles Leclerc then he’d need to return the place.

It quickly became apparent on the last lap that Verstappen wasn’t going to pace either driver, resulting in his race engineer informing him to let Checo past.

Verstappen ignored his instructions and crossed the line ahead of Pérez, snatching two vital points off him.

Pérez was apologised to after the race by team boss Christian Horner, before the Mexican said over the radio that Verstappen showed “who he really is”.

The double World Champion has faced backlash as a result, with Pérez having lost his slim margin over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship as a result.

Red Bull have never claimed a one-two in the standings, something that Pérez is trying to achieve.

Albers was left feeling disappointed in Verstappen for being so selfish, after admitting that the 25-year-old “didn’t need” to disobey his team.

“I understand that he has his principles, but a driver of his calibre didn’t need to do that,” Albers told De Telegraaf.

“Was this all really worth it? He should be so far above it.”

Lammers also threw shade at Verstappen, who showed a lack of loyalty and teamwork by robbing Pérez the way he did.

“He had the chance to take part in the team’s first one-two. He made a choice,” Lammers told NOS.

Supposedly, Verstappen refused to give the place back as a result of something that happened earlier in the year.

According to reports, Pérez revealed that he crashed on purpose in Q3 at the Monaco Grand Prix, to stop Verstappen from claiming pole.

Lammers believes Pérez went too far with his comments about Verstappen, which in the Dutch GP boss’ opinion were “quite personal”.

READ: Ferrari hits out at rumour about Mattia Binotto’s future

“Perez says Verstappen owes his two titles to him, but he also said he has now seen Verstappen’s true nature which I think it quite personal,” he said.

“It’s a personal insult to Max’s character, which was unnecessary and below the belt. Because if Red Bull had demanded in his contract that he finish third, I think he would have signed with a very thick marker.

“On the other hand, a one-two is a nice gesture towards Dietrich Mateschitz. I think this is more about Verstappen and Perez than the team,” Lammers added.

The post Sergio Perez criticised for ‘personal insult’ against Max Verstappen appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The Dutchman has worked as Mercedes’ reserve driver for some time now, so is no rookie in the sense that he knows what goes on during a F1 weekend.

However, he is a complete rookie to a full season in the sport, but he did at least get some experience under his belt at the Italian Grand Prix.

De Vries made a last-minute F1 debut at Monza recently, where he replaced Alex Albon at Williams prior to FP3.

READ: George Russell praised for ‘stamping his authority’ against Lewis Hamilton

It’s safe to say the 27-year-old made the most of his one-shot, as he not only made it to Q2, but he went on to match the team’s best race result of the year, ninth.

His shock Monza performance saw the driver gain attention from AlphaTauri, who quickly snapped up the chance to sign the talented Dutchman.

It staggeringly means that there will be two Dutch drivers in the sport next season, with Max Verstappen, of course, being from the same country.

Dutch motorsport is certainly booming currently, with ex-F1 driver Jan Lammers admitting it’s “totally unthinkable” that his nation will have two representatives in the championship.

“We now have a second Dutch driver in F1,” Lammers told De Telegraaf.

“What’s happening is not normal. We also have Rinus van Kalmthout in Indycar, MP Motorsport is the Formula 2 champion, Atze Kerkhof is a driver coach at Alfa Romeo and Rudy van Buren is a sim driver at Red Bull Racing.

“There were times when things like this were totally unthinkable.”

Given the fact he’s joined the Red Bull sister team, there is likely to be a lot of pressure on the Dutch driver to perhaps live up to the standards set by Verstappen, who has obviously gone on to achieve remarkable things since moving from AlphaTauri to Red Bull.

Lammers wants De Vries to be given the “first half” of 2023 to adjust to the championship, before people become too critical of the Dutchman’s performances.

“We can be very sentimental on the one hand, but I also think it is good to keep expectations realistic next year,” he said.

“What Nyck showed in Monza was wonderful, but he has also acknowledged that Monza is physically the easiest track and the best track of the year for Williams.

“We should all give Nyck the first half of the season next year to feel comfortable in the car and everything else that comes with it. We have to give him time for that,” Lammers insisted.

“Hopefully Alpha Tauri will make some progress and then we can really judge Nyck after the summer break. Anything he can accomplish earlier is a plus.

“We also cannot underestimate his teammate (Yuki) Tsunoda either.”

Fellow Dutchman and ex-F1 driver Christijan Albers thinks De Vries certainly has the potential to have a “very strong season”, something he’ll need to do to beat team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

“I think he can have a very strong season,” Albers said.

“He will have to, because he will have to beat his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. I have faith that he can do that. Tsunoda started very well last year but then collapsed.”

It’s somewhat rare for a driver to be a rookie in F1 at an age towards 30; however, that is the situation De Vries finds himself in.

This is by no means a negative but instead something that could inspire other drivers that they should never stop “fighting” to achieve their dreams, with Albers highlighting that the Mercedes reserve “never gave up”.

“I always say that in this world you have to create your happiness,” he said.

“That’s what Nyck did.

READ: American driver to fill in for Nicholas Latifi at 2022 US Grand Prix

“He kept on fighting and remained involved in Formula 1 as a test driver. He never gave up. Nyck was able to gain experience and was an ideal stand-in for many teams.

“He was lucky in Monza of course because Williams was competitive and the other teams were asleep, so he was always running on softer tyres than the drivers around him.

“But he was able to put himself in the spotlight.”

The post Nyck de Vries fired warning about Yuki Tsunoda appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.