Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton will be “motivated to show he is a seven-time World Champion” during his maiden Formula 1 campaign with Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton will be striving to reignite his rivalry with Verstappen as he embarks on a new venture at Ferrari, having now ended his illustrious association with Mercedes.
The Briton ended his protracted win drought in his last season with the German marque, but his two victories sandwiched recurring struggles on other race weekends.
Hamilton toiled with a capricious W15 car in qualifying, sustaining an 18-5 loss to George Russell in the head-to-head that prompted him to question his own abilities.
However, Verstappen is convinced that Hamilton’s inconsistent season was down to the acknowledgement that his endeavours past that campaign rested elsewhere.
“It has been tough for him to get motivated fully this year [2024] because he knows he is leaving the team,” Verstappen told the PA.
“I felt like as soon as he had that competitive car, and there was a chance of winning, you could see he really stepped up.
“Then there were some races where the car was difficult and he was like: ‘Whatever.’”
Verstappen denies age will impact Hamilton
Hamilton encountering difficulties with extracting pace over one lap on a consistent basis has been attributed in some quarters to a natural decline in speed with age.
But Verstappen has dismissed scepticism that his rival having turned 40 will be detrimental to his ambitions of capturing a record eighth Drivers’ title whilst at Ferrari.
“I don’t think he will ever lose it,” the reigning F1 champion added. “He has achieved so much.
“It is a new challenge for him next year [2025]. He will be very, very motivated to show he is a seven-time World Champion.”
Hamilton’s success dependent on Ferrari
Hamilton and Verstappen have seldom gone wheel-to-wheel since their riveting championship fight in 2021 amid Mercedes’ woes with the current ground-effect cars.
Therefore, the Dutchman has cautioned that Hamilton’s swansong in red developing into a success will be reliant on Ferrari providing him with a competitive package.
“But it will depend on the material he has got,” the Red Bull driver concluded.
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