F1 News: “You Should Never Underestimate Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton”: Max Verstappen Warned of Rising Threat by F1 Winner

Gerhard Berger, the former Ferrari driver, has stayed close to the sport even after retiring. As they say, once you get a feel for the track, it’s really hard to let go. Today, at the age of 64, Berger is an avid follower of the sport and has already been President of the FIA Single Seat Commission. With the kind of experience he has, he is often called upon for his opinion and advice, and during his recent interview, he had a warning for Max Verstappen.

During an interview with Auto-Motor-Sport Magazine, Berger spoke about his experience as a retired F1 racer while dropping some serious hints at reigning champion Max Verstappen, needing to keep up his game, as Lewis Hamilton might just beat him.

Gerhard Berger’s take on the 2024 season for Max Verstappen

After answering many questions about his career as an F1 driver, the interviewer asked Berger the question of the hour; “Do you see a chance that Red Bull will have competition this year?” To this, Gerhard Berger said, “In Formula 1 things always turn out differently than you think. The bar is very high.” He spoke about how “If Red Bull keeps its team together like this, it will be difficult to catch up with them.”

The Austrian expressed how he thinks the only way Red Bull will face defeat is if other teams “take radical steps.” While concluding his answer, Berger had something to warn Max Verstappen about as he said, “You should never underestimate Mercedes and Hamilton.”

Being an ex-Ferrari driver, Berger also spoke about how the Prancing Horse is the one team that he has the most confidence in. Seeing promise from the team during the second half of the 2023 season has his hopes up Leclerc and Sainz can lead his team to victory. Along with the warning to Verstappen about Lewis Hamilton, he also acknowledged McLaren’s efforts.

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But despite what Gerhard Berger has to say, for Lewis Hamilton to win his 8th World Champion title is a possible task, but a difficult one at that.

What does Lewis need to do to reclaim the title of World Champion?

Verstappen led the F1 2023 charts with a large margin between him and rank 2. While he scored 575 in 2023, his teammate, rank 2 driver Sergio Perez, scored 285 points. In third place, the Mercedes man Lewis Hamilton scored 234 points.

While Hamilton came third, the main reason that happened was because of Mercedes going through lineup changes within the team. With no proper management, Mercedes took a hit, but they are now more ready than ever for the 2024 season.

While it is obvious that there was a gap between Mercedes and Red Bull in 2023, Hamilton expresses “full faith” in the team’s ability to construct a more competitive car for the 2024 season. The W15 car is set to be showcased during its digital launch event on February 14, which will take place at Silverstone. This will be followed by Red Bull showcasing the RB20 on February 15.

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The competition is stiff between Max Verstappen, who is on his way to etch his name into F1 greatness and Hamilton, who is just 1 World Championship away from being the first and only racer to win 8 titles.

Who do you think will shine in the 2024 season? Verstappen or Hamilton?