Lewis Hamilton faces ‘Everest’ as Max Verstappen makes Norris feelings clear
Max Verstappen rounded off the 2023 Formula One season with a stunning drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull star won by a remarkable 17 seconds, leaving Charles Leclerc, George Russell and the rest of the grid in his wake.
Verstappen secured a third World Drivers’ Championship in Qatar in October. But had to wait nearly two months to officially celebrate his success.
Meanwhile, it was a mixed day for Mercedes. Russell ended the season with a third-place podium finish while Lewis Hamilton came ninth on another disappointing afternoon for the veteran.
You can follow all the latest fallout from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Express Sport’s LIVE blog, below…
Verstappen makes Norris feelings clear
Max Verstappen appeared to show support towards the prospect of Lando Norris joining Red Bull after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
McLaren star Norris has been widely tipped to replace Sergio Perez in the coming years.
The 23-year-old embraced Verstappen after the Dutchman rounded off a brilliant season for Red Bull.
But the world champion proceeded to sneakily attach a Red Bull sticker to Norris’ back.
It remains to be seen if Norris will remain at McLaren for the start of 2024.
Hamilton faces ‘Everest’-style challenge
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff predicts that Lewis Hamilton has a ‘Mercedes’-style challenge attempting to beat Red Bull next season.
Max Verstappen won a record 19 races in 2023 and was victorious by a staggering 17 seconds in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Red Bull have been able to spend months developing their car for 2024 due to their incredible dominance this year.
“Red Bull started the [current set of] regulations last season with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it,” Wolff said.
“We have a lot of respect for their achievement, from the engineering side, and the driver side, and beating them under these regulations [which last until 2026] is against the odds. That is clear.
“But we have seen with McLaren, where an update unlocked a second of time, there is a key to unlocking dramatically more performance.
“We had to be honest that this car was never going to be good enough to fight for a world championship. We took the decision in April to go back to the drawing board and come up with something new next year. But Mount Everest is in front of us.
“We are changing the concept. We are completely moving away from how we lay out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow, literally every component has been changed because only by doing that do we have a chance [of beating Red Bull].
“You could get it wrong also. Everything is possible. There is always scepticism. But that is the mentality in the team that pushes us forward, to never give up.”
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