Hamilton-Verstappen, Mercedes-Red Bull … Wow!
There have been great rivalries ever since the beginning of Formula 1 racing. There was Fangio-Moss, Stewart-Fittipaldi, Peterson-Andretti, Lauda-Prost, Senna-Prost, and Patrese-Mansell, among others. Recently, though, Lewis Hamilton has been the sport’s dominant force. There have been a handful of contenders, including Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr., Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, and George Russell, who could give the now-veteran Hamilton a run for his possible eighth world title.
But “could give’ isn’t ‘will give.’ The fact remains that Hamilton has been on top since Nico Rosberg won his first and only world title in 2016.
Until now …. He is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The Dutchman came through the channels of the Red Bull program along with Ricciardo, Sainz Jr., four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and Pierre Gasly, to name a few. Today, ss we approach our fourth race this weekend in Monaco–a circuit where you must have much more luck than skill–Verstappen is Hamilton’s primary rival.
One reason is that Verstappen drives a greatly improved car thanks to an engine contract with Honda. That said, Verstappen isn’t just up against Hamilton. He’s competing against the entire (brilliant and crafty) Mercedes team–an assertion that has proven real already in the 2021 season.
The good news for Red Bull is that some Mercedes personal have jumped ship and are heading to Red Bull. Those moves add spice to a competition that has the world watching.
Yes, the sport of F1 has had a king for a very long time. Now it has a rivalry, Hamilton-Verstappen.
