It would be ‘almost impossible’ for Lewis Hamilton to beat Max Verstappen if he joins Red Bull, says Peter Windsor

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen shared an intense rivalry for the 2021 title, where the latter prevailed, and since then, has been dominating the sport.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen (Credits :SI and The Guardian)

F1 pundit Peter Windsor believes that even a driver of Lewis Hamilton’s caliber would face an immense challenge in defeating Max Verstappen if they were both driving the RB19. Windsor attributes Verstappen’s exceptional performance to his ”symbiotic” partnership with the Austrian team, particularly with renowned engineer Adrian Newey.

He believes that if Hamilton joined the Bulls and got to partner Verstappen in the RB19, he would undoubtedly enjoy it far better than the W14 and would even edge out Verstappen in qualifying. However, throughout the season, Windsor believes that because of his relationship with Adrian Newey, Max Verstappen would emerge the champion.

Speaking on his YouTube live stream, he said, “In order for them to be teammates, it would mean Lewis joining Red Bull. In that situation, I think it would be Max. Because Max has this symbiotic relationship with Adrian and to some extent with Christian but more importantly, with Adrian. Lewis will be chiming into that and he’ll be getting into his racing car and it will feel great, much better than the Mercedes, and he might out-qualify Max by a tenth or two.”

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Windsor believes that despite Lewis Hamilton’s immense skillset and proficiency, he cannot beat Verstappen in the RB19 because the Dutchman shares camaraderie with the team that the Briton doesn’t. “But in terms of overall in a season, it would be almost impossible I think to beat the Max Verstappen-Adrian Newey partnership, even if you’re Lewis Hamilton, or George Russell, or Charles Leclerc, or anybody,” Peter Windsor added.

Lewis Hamilton believes Max Verstappen can break all his records

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Credits: Autoweek)

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged the possibility that Max Verstappen could surpass his record for Formula One Grand Prix wins in the future. As Hamilton is close to finalizing a contract extension with Mercedes, he can increase his current tally of 103 victories. But, he recognizes that the 25-year-old Red Bull driver has the advantage of time on his side.

In an interview with Motorsport.com, when asked about the possibility of Verstappen breaking his records, he said, “He’s got a very long career ahead of him so absolutely. Ultimately records are there to be broken. We’ve got to work harder to continue to extend it, and, at least within the last period of time of my career, I hope we get to have some more close racing.“

Max Verstappen draws level with the legendary Ayrton Senna for race wins in F1 ?? pic.twitter.com/9lCN1oBzaq
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 18, 2023

The Dutch sensation equaled Ayrton Senna’s record of 41 race victories in Canada and has marched into the top 5 drivers with the most race wins in F1. He is already on track to win his third consecutive world title this season, boasting a massive 69-point advantage at the top after just eight races. He showcases his immense talent every race weekend and seems to prevail regardless of the obstacles in his way.

Max Verstappen is on a charge, having led every race lap since overtaking Sergio Perez at the Miami Grand Prix over three races ago. With form this immense, it will take something special from his rivals to beat him at the upcoming double header in Austria and Britain.