Max Verstappen remains unconvinced that Lewis Hamilton can become a faster Formula 1 driver, despite the seven-time world champion’s impressive resurgence with Ferrari during the 2026 season. The Red Bull driver believes age will eventually limit how much further the Briton can develop, drawing a clear distinction between Hamilton and Mercedes title favourite Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whom he expects to reach an even higher level in 2027.
Hamilton has enjoyed a substantial improvement since Formula 1 introduced its new regulations, recovering from a difficult 2025 campaign in which he failed to secure a single podium. His revival has included a victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and a renewed opportunity to finish second in the Drivers’ Championship. Yet those achievements have not persuaded Verstappen to reconsider an opinion he previously expressed about the Ferrari driver’s age and future potential.
Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton has reached his performance ceiling
Speaking to German publication Sport Bild, in comments reported by sport.de, Max Verstappen explained why he expects Andrea Kimi Antonelli to continue improving while taking a different view of Lewis Hamilton’s prospects.
The four-time world champion acknowledged that age should not necessarily be a major obstacle for modern Formula 1 drivers. Nevertheless, he suggested that Hamilton was unlikely to become any faster than he already is, while carefully distinguishing that assessment from a prediction of declining performance.
Verstappen was not suggesting that the Ferrari driver would inevitably become slower. Instead, he believes Hamilton has probably reached a stage in his career where further improvements in outright speed are unlikely, whereas Antonelli still has considerable potential to develop.
The distinction is particularly significant because Hamilton will turn 42 before the beginning of the 2027 season. Although his current performances have demonstrated that he remains capable of competing at a high level, Verstappen sees a difference between maintaining an established standard and continuing to improve as a driver.
The Dutchman’s position is not new. In an interview last November, he argued that Hamilton’s age was becoming a disadvantage when compared with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is now 29. Despite the seven-time champion’s considerably stronger results in 2026, that assessment remains unchanged.
Why Max Verstappen expects Andrea Kimi Antonelli to improve in 2027
Verstappen’s outlook for Andrea Kimi Antonelli is considerably more optimistic. The Mercedes driver is approaching his first Formula 1 World Championship and could secure the title during the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend simply by finishing the race inside the top nine.
At 20 years old, Antonelli is four years younger than Verstappen was when the Red Bull driver claimed his maiden championship in 2021. His rapid progression has been one of the defining developments of the season, and Verstappen believes winning the title could unlock another level of performance.
The Red Bull driver argued that Antonelli has not yet reached his full potential. In his view, becoming world champion would help the young Italian approach future race weekends with greater calm and a more relaxed attitude, having already achieved the ambition of winning Formula 1’s biggest prize.
That assessment is particularly interesting given the characteristics of Antonelli’s current campaign. Despite making relatively few major mistakes, the Mercedes driver has frequently operated close to the limit, accumulating numerous track-limits infringements. Some of his exchanges with race engineer Peter Bonnington have also sounded particularly frantic.
Verstappen believes the pressure associated with pursuing a first championship could diminish once Antonelli has secured the title, potentially allowing him to approach the 2027 season with a different mindset.
The Dutchman’s own career offers a comparison. After winning his first championship in 2021, Verstappen dominated the following season, securing a then-record 15 victories from 22 races. That achievement was also closely connected to Red Bull’s technical superiority at the beginning of Formula 1’s ground-effect era, rather than being attributable solely to a change in the driver’s mentality.
Antonelli’s progression towards the 2026 championship has also attracted considerable attention following his Austin victory, which brought him closer to succeeding former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton as a world champion.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari revival puts him back in the championship fight
While Andrea Kimi Antonelli closes in on the world title, Lewis Hamilton remains involved in another important championship battle. The Ferrari driver is just one point behind George Russell in the fight to finish runner-up in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship.
That position represents a significant improvement on his first season with the Scuderia. Hamilton failed to reach the podium throughout 2025, but the regulation changes introduced for 2026 have coincided with a substantial recovery in his competitiveness.
The British driver has emerged as one of the season’s most improved competitors, demonstrating that he can still challenge for major results despite being in the later stages of his Formula 1 career. His progress has also made the question of how much further he can develop particularly relevant as Ferrari prepares for another championship campaign.
The seven-time world champion has already achieved his strongest points-scoring season since 2021, with his recent Ferrari results and championship performances illustrating the scale of his improvement compared with the previous year.
Verstappen’s comments therefore concern Hamilton’s potential for further development rather than whether he remains competitive today. The Red Bull driver recognises the difference between a veteran maintaining his existing capabilities and a young competitor who is still developing his skills.
Lewis Hamilton’s Barcelona victory strengthens his historic ambitions
Hamilton’s ambitions extend beyond finishing second in the current championship. The Ferrari driver continues to pursue an eighth world title and hopes to become only the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to win the championship in his forties, a feat that has not been achieved since 1966.
His victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June already represented an important historic achievement. The result made Hamilton the seventh-oldest race winner in Formula 1 history, demonstrating that he remains capable of winning at an age when relatively few drivers have continued competing at the highest level.
The Barcelona success was also significant because 22 years had passed since a driver in his forties, Nigel Mansell, had previously stood on the top step of a Formula 1 podium.
Hamilton’s wider career achievements, including his victories, championship records and performances across different constructors, can be explored through his dedicated Formula 1 career and Ferrari statistics.
Can Lewis Hamilton continue challenging for titles beyond 2026?
Verstappen’s assessment highlights an important contrast between the two drivers entering the next phase of their careers. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is approaching what could be his first championship with the expectation that experience and reduced pressure will allow him to improve further. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, is attempting to extend an already exceptional career while demonstrating that his age does not prevent him from competing for victories.
The Ferrari driver’s 2026 recovery has already challenged the disappointing expectations created by his previous season. His Barcelona victory and position in the championship fight provide evidence that he remains a formidable competitor, even if Verstappen doubts that his underlying speed can increase any further.
For Ferrari, Hamilton’s continued competitiveness remains particularly important as the team looks towards 2027. The seven-time world champion still has ambitions of adding another title to his record, while the Scuderia must provide the performance necessary to support that objective.
Max Verstappen is not predicting that Lewis Hamilton will become slower, but he believes the Ferrari driver’s potential for further improvement is limited. In contrast, he expects Andrea Kimi Antonelli to benefit from the experience of becoming world champion and reach another level next season.
Whether that distinction proves accurate will become clearer in 2027, when Hamilton aims to continue his Ferrari revival and Antonelli could begin his first campaign as Formula 1’s defending world champion.
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