Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen verdict given by Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne – EXCLUSIVE

F1: Can Lewis Hamilton do it again?

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Mercedes F1 reserve driver and Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne says he expects the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to come down to the wire, and neither should be discounted this early in the season.

Hamilton has picked up three of the four wins so far this season, with 19 races to go in a bumper season, stretching his legs at the top of the standings by 14 points in the driver’s standings.

Verstappen meanwhile in the Red Bull has only one win to his name, but has been on the podium for every single race this season.

And Vandoorne praised what could be a tasty battle for the title.

“Yeah, it’s it’s it’s good, I think, for the sport in general that, you know, it’s a bit closer between Mercedes and Red Bull,” said the Mercedes EQ Formula E driver.

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“And, you know, it’s still a long way to go in F1 as well as still 20 races left, so anything can still happen.

“But I think fans and everyone has enjoyed watching Lewis and Max going going head to head, and it’s been it’s been pretty close between them, we’ll see how it’s going to go through through the season.

“I think some tracks, Red Bull will be stronger, some tracks Mercedes will be we’ll be stronger.

“But, yeah, they’re both performing at a pretty high level right now, so they can’t back off any of them. So it’s a yeah. Pretty, pretty cool to see.”

Vandoorne, who slipped to sixth in the FE standings after the Monaco ePrix on Saturday, heads into his third campaign in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with Mercedes-EQ after securing the first race win in its maiden campaign last season.

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He made his Formula 1 race debut in 2016 in Bahrain, replacing the injured two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

The Belgian driver remained with McLaren until October 2018, and despite still having links with F1, he’s says he’s at home with the all-electric racing series.

“I’m very happy where I am, to be honest,” he concluded.

“I mean, I’m I’m lucky enough to be with Mercedes, which is obviously one of the best manufacturers you can be involved with, everything they’ve won in the past and every series – and in F1, they’re obviously very successful.

“And I’m still involved with their F1 side as a reserve driver and simulator driver.

“I’m in a good position here with the team. I’ve you know, I’ve started from from scratch with this team when it was HWA, let’s say we had to build up from from zero.

“So it’s a it’s a nice feeling as well to have started from zero and then, having built the team into into a winning team at the moment.

“So that’s yeah, That’s a great feeling. And this is really my main focus and my target right now is to try and try and win championships here.”

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