Max Verstappen details Lewis Hamilton plan as Red Bull desperate to end Mercedes dominance

F1: Verstappen puts in hard graft ahead of new season

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Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen has vowed to go deeper in his analysis of past Formula One race weekends in order to aid his chances of beating Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to silverware this year. The 23-year-old is preparing for his sixth season on the grid with the hope of pushing Hamilton all the way in the latter’s hunt for an unprecedented eighth Drivers’ Championship title.

Red Bull will be quietly optimistic of a renewed challenge at the top ahead of the new season, with many of last year’s regulations carrying over into the new campaign.

However, constructors will be required to alter the structure underneath the car as a result of F1 chiefs aiming to reduce downforce, which could play into Verstappen’s hands given the strength of Red Bull’s aerodynamic department.

The Mercedes car has undoubtedly been far quicker in recent years, with their superiority reflected by the 254-point gap between themselves and Red Bull in last season’s Constructors’ Championship battle.

Although Verstappen is aware that his opportunities will be limited by the machinery underneath him, he is prepared to take every individual precaution to give himself the highest possible chance of success at the end of the campaign.

The Dutchman claimed that he will be constantly looking for ways to improve by fully immersing himself in the analysis of prior events, in order to extract the very best from himself and his team.

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“What can I do?” questioned Verstappen. “It is just looking back at races, analysing weekends and stuff like that. Sometimes just looking back at a race you can see stuff.

“You can also hear stuff from other teams, what they say, and I’m more about improving driving-wise, not fitness-wise.

“It’s never good enough. Every year you need to step up again, try to be even better in qualifying, try to be more consistent in the race, try to be even better on tyres, try to be even better in setting up the car.

“But this is a natural process and it is not something I can pinpoint. It just happens for me naturally. But also you can rewind in your head sometimes a race weekend.”

Verstappen struggled to lay a glove on Hamilton last season, finishing the campaign 133 points behind the Stevenage-born driver on the individual leaderboard.

However, the change in floor design as well as pre-season uncertainty at Mercedes could end up allowing the Dutchman to enjoy a closer battle in 2021.

The Brackley outfit revealed earlier this month that they were aiming to iron out a number of lingering issues with regards to their power unit, claiming that the problems would likely be solved in time for the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 28.

However, if they are to face any further delays, it could be good news for Red Bull and Verstappen who will be eyeing an early surge into the lead.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff previously claimed that he is all too aware of the threat from both Red Bull and Aston Martin this season, citing the mandatory floor alterations as a potential stumbling block for his team.

“The change to the floor, from which a part has to be cut out basically, is decisive in a technical sense,” Wolff told Speed Week.

“It has forced a rethink of the entire concept. So we cannot rule out that Red Bull or Aston Martin will come up with a better solution.”

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