F1: Max Verstappen is getting ‘a bit bored’ by Lewis Hamilton’s success
Alex Albon confirmed as Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate for 2020
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen admits that he finds Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 domination “a bit boring”.
Mercedes ace Hamilton has won five of the last six F1 world championships and wrapped up the 2019 title, his sixth, at the United States Grand Prix earlier this month.
Verstappen hopes that he and his fellow younger drivers, such as Ferrari 22-year-old Charles Leclerc, will provide competition against 34-year-old Hamilton in next season’s title race.
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Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian GP, Verstappen, 22, said: “I think it’s good for the sport to have the young guys now coming up and hopefully taking over very soon. It’s getting a bit boring seeing Lewis win, so we have to try and change that.
“He’s getting older… so for sure it will stop at one point. It’s just going to depend on the team, to be honest. It’s not going to depend on Lewis.
“If Mercedes keeps building really dominant cars, for sure he’s going to win. So we just have to make sure as a team that we can beat them.”
Verstappen is also confident that Red Bull and engine partners Honda can be in the mix for the 2020 title, FoxSports.com.au reports.
He added: “I think we are on the right path. When you see the engine power compared to Mercedes and Renault, we are very close to Mercedes now so that is very promising for next year.”
Albon confirmed by Red Bull for 2020
Red Bull have announced that Alex Albon will continue as Verstappen’s team-mate next season.
After the summer break Albon replaced Pierre Gasly in Red Bull’s senior team, with Gasly switching to Toro Rosso.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Alex has performed extremely well since his debut with the team in Belgium and his results - seven finishes in the top six - speak for themselves.
“It’s extremely hard to deny that level of consistency and in tandem with a growing reputation as a tenacious, fiercely committed racer, Alex has proved that he fully deserves to continue his progress with Red Bull Racing.
“There is plenty of potential still to unlock and we look forward to seeing Alex alongside Max in 2020.”
Albon added: “I am really excited to be partnering Max again for next year. And I know how fortunate I am to be given this opportunity. I’m hugely thankful that Red Bull have put their trust in me and believed in my results since I joined the team and for them to keep me in the car next year is a big deal.
“This year has been an incredible year for me and getting the call up to Red Bull mid-season was already a big step, so now I will use the learnings from this season and use the experience to improve and fight at the front in 2020.”
With Albon remaining with Red Bull, it means that Gasly and Daniil Kvyat will continue as team-mates at Toro Rosso for the 2020 campaign.
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost said: “I’m delighted to retain Pierre and Daniil for next season. Both drivers have shown really good performances this season and they have proven in their years in F1 to be very competitive, able to exploit the car’s potential and give valuable feedback to make improvements.”
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