Ex-F1 champion gives ‘gut prediction’ over Max Verstappen’s title prospects in 2024

Damon Hill expresses his gut feeling as stopping Max Verstappen at Red Bull for title race will be next to impossible.

Ex-F1 champion gives ‘gut prediction’ over Max Verstappen’s title prospects in 2024

Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen and Red Bull are in trouble after a performance slump in the last few races. Rivals, McLaren and Mercedes have improved immensely resulting in a tough competition to Red Bull. There’s a high chance of the Dutchman’s lead slipping away if they fail to perform after summer break. With only 78 points behind Verstappen, Lando Norris appeared very strong in pace and could clinch the lead in the last 10 rounds.

The 1996 world champion Damon Hill expressed his gut prediction over Max Verstappen’s win in 2024. He mentioned that stopping Verstappen in Red Bull is going to be a tall order, it may even seem nearly impossible. Hill highlighted that, even though other drivers are getting close to the Dutchman, he has proven he can fight on every track to keep winning. The 63-year-old also praised his ability to achieve surprising results when it seems difficult. This strong determination and skills allows him to defend his position and win races, even when the competition is tough.

My gut reaction is that it is going to be a tall order to stop Max Verstappen in a Red Bull, I know everyone is catching, but he has shown that he is prepared to fight every inch of the track to keep those victories and he is able to pull results out of the hat.
Damon Hill said on F1NationsPodcast
YouTube video

Hill mentioned that Verstappen has recently been critical with the team, because he wants them to improve and take action. The reason behind this criticism can be because the 26-year-old had found it difficult to win races now compared to the last few years. Earlier it was easy for him, because of the car he didn’t have to work as hard to achieve victories. But now with other teams catching up and becoming competitive, he is having to put in much more effort to stay ahead.

FS Video
He's been quite critical of the team and wants to see more action because he's starting to have to work a lot harder than he's been used to in the last couple of years.
Damon Hill added.
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Damon Hill claims Max Verstappen will really have to fight for 2024 title

Damon Hill mentioned that Max Verstappen need to work very hard to win the 2024 championship. He expected, even if Red Bull improves the car and makes it faster, it will still face strong competition from rivals. There’s a high possibility of Red Bull bringing major tweaks that would boost the car’s performance. However, the scenario is different as it was at the beginning with other drivers having improved massively. So, even with a faster car, Verstappen will need to fight hard in every race to stay ahead and win the championship.

Max Verstappen, elmut Marko and Christian Horner
Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)
He will really have to fight for this championship, so whether they can come up with a little bit more pace for him on the development of the car, I am sure they can, but he is still going to be chased all the way through to the end
Max Verstappen stated

Certainly, Damon Hill emphasized that Verstappen needs to put double effort from now on if he doesn’t want his lead to slip away. With the changes made in the car there will still be a high chance Verstappen would face a tough competition. Fans hope Milton Keynes does the necessary adjustments and helps the 26-year-old clinch his fourth title this season.

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