Christijan Albers, a former Formula One driver, has confessed that he believes Lewis Hamilton is the only driver capable of stopping Max Verstappen from winning the title in 2024.
Mercedes hasn’t created a good car in the last two years, and if Lewis Hamilton wants to catch the Dutchman, Mercedes will have to pull out all the stops this winter.
Albers revealed in his piece for De Telegraaf that he hopes Mercedes can close the deal ahead of the 2024 season to make the title race more competitive.
Hamilton may find it difficult to believe he can compete with Max Verstappen next year.
It only took one qualifying session in 2023 for the squad to realize how far they were behind Red Bull.
They had entirely miscalculated their development route and had spent the entire year catching up.
Unlike in 2022, when George Russell won an improbable first race in Sao Paulo, the squad did not stand on the podium once last year.
Albers has stated that if given the appropriate chassis this year, Hamilton is likely to be the only driver fast enough to challenge Verstappen.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone catching a squad that won 21 of 22 races in 2023 this year.
But if there is one driver who can compete right now, it is Lewis Hamilton.
Albers believes Hamilton can battle Verstappen in 2024 if given the correct car.
Albers commented on the upcoming season, saying, “For the neutral observer, I hope Mercedes will come up with a better car in 2024.”Because, based only on the qualities of the present drivers, I believe Lewis Hamilton is the only one who can compete with Verstappen.
“I’m primarily referring to the ability to perform consistently and be very stable in lap times during a race.”
“Like Verstappen, Hamilton has excellent tire management skills.” They are alone in assessing some conditions and feeling the rubber.”
Hamilton’s greatest race of 2023 was arguably in Austin, despite being disqualified.
He was closing in on the Dutchman, though it’s unclear if he would have been as speedy if his automobile had passed inspection.
When Albers says he hopes Hamilton can challenge Verstappen next year, he is echoing the sentiments of many F1 fans.
It doesn’t even have to be the Brit, with Sergio Perez, who is in the same vehicle as his teammate, probably better situated to compete.
The 2023 season was thrilling as long as you overlooked who won the race.
The excitement in 2024 must be at the very front of the grid, not only for second place.
