There’s someone not thrilled about Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari: Helmut Marko firmly believes Max Verstappen is more skilled than the Briton in F1. A comment that certainly comes as no surprise and sparks a rivalry already shaping up to be exciting. Ferrari versus Red Bull, Red Bull versus McLaren, and McLaren versus Ferrari: a three-way battle set to animate 2025.
With just over a month left until the start of the new championship, teams are making their final preparations with track training, TPC or THC sessions, and the first announcements of official presentations and filming days. It promises to be a very open championship, though McLaren may start as the favorite. Ferrari and Red Bull face the tough task of halting Woking’s “dominance” early on.
The two heavyweights, at least in terms of titles won, will be Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. With eleven championships between them, they are the most successful drivers on the current grid and, at least in Lewis Hamilton’s case, in the history of Formula 1. The two have already gone head-to-head in 2021—the year of Max Verstappen’s first world title—and are gearing up for a new, epic battle.
Helmut Marko puts all his bets on Max Verstappen
While Lewis Hamilton was enjoying his debut with Ferrari at Fiorano, Helmut Marko gave a spicy interview to Sport Bild: “[Verstappen] gains 0.1 to 0.2 seconds per lap that no one else can achieve. Hamilton is still fast in races, but over the course of an entire season? I have my doubts. Even if he had a good Ferrari and we had a mediocre Red Bull, I’d still bet on Max.”
Helmut Marko didn’t miss the chance to offer the British champion a “piece of advice”: “Be careful not to fall into a negative spiral,” as happened in recent years with Mercedes. The new championship, at least in the media, has already begun.
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