Former F1 Champion Claims Max Verstappen Is ‘Halfway Before He’s 28’ to Match Lewis Hamilton & Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen lifted his maiden World Champion last season after a neck-to-neck fight against Lewis Hamilton. Recently, Damon Hill mentioned that Verstappen might become a super successful driver in the future.

The 24-year-old Dutchman had a phenomenal season last year; therefore, Red Bull extended their contract with Verstappen. According to the new contract, the 2021 world champion will stay at the Milton Keynes base until 2028.

Furthermore, the former F1 driver, Damon Hill, believes that both Red Bull and Verstappen’s future might be really, outstandingly bright. He might also be able to replicate a similar career trajectory like Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

The 1996 world champion expressed, “Let’s say Red Bull have got it right, that run of success like they did with Sebastian Vettel, Max’ got one world championship, let’s say he wins another three. He’s halfway before he’s 28 to equalling potentially Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, or if Lewis gets his eighth.

“He’s on track for this ridiculously long career, winning many world championships,” Damon continued on the podcast.

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Can Max Verstappen win the 2022 season?

The Red Bull didn’t manage to impress at the Barcelona pre-season testing much with their RB18. Further, they were facing a lot of issues with the new car, especially the weight which is over the limit. Then the Austrians returned with their car for the testing at Bahrain, where they continued their unimpressive run. However, the RB18 finally showcased outstanding pace on the final day of the Bahrain pre-season testing after the Austrian team implemented some sidepod upgrades.

Currently, the Austrian F1 team are one of the candidates besides Ferrari to win the first race. Max Verstappen would be looking forward to winning the season opener and taking a lead on the points. He won the last year’s championship, yet many believe that Verstappen only won because of Masi’s controversial decision. Therefore, the Dutchman has to work even harder to win the upcoming 2022 season and shut down the people who never believed in him.

Also, the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton would be also looking forward to lifting his record eighth title this year. Recently, the McLaren driver Lando Norris also revealed that Verstappen is one of his F1 rivals this season besides the Ferrari duo.

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There are only a few days left for the first race, and already there is so much going on in F1. Therefore, the season-opener in Bahrain this Sunday would be a nail-biting experience. It will be fascinating to see who wins, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, or someone else.