Max is a great driver as is Hamilton, Alonso and several others on the grid, but contrary to the statements of the past few years, now is the year for the Max Fans to finally find out if it is the Driver or the Car that has been so dominant.Go see how many YouTubers or journos have predicted Max get a 5th WDC in 2025. You won't find many, if any.
RedBull went from dominating 2023 to dominating then falling down hard in 2024 to only just secure the WDC by the end. Now in 2025 it seems they are already battling before the first race. It didn't set the timing sheets on fire either.
Max is just one man in a team consisting of thousands. If the whole team isn't working harmoniously in getting the car working well how the heck is he going to get it ahead of the competition where entire teams are like well oiled machines?
Verstappen doubts Red Bull ready to win at start of 2025
Max Verstappen doubts Red Bull will be able to fight for victory in the Formula 1 season opener, having expected more from its 2025 car in pre-season testingwww.the-race.com
- Ferrari looks good and energized.
- McLaren is surging with confidence
- Mercedes looks strong and youthful, much like Red Bull did a few years back.
- Williams is surprising everyone including the top team bosses
- While Red Bull looks a bit concerned about their new car, particularly Max himself
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F1 2025
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Decarin
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The only team accused of sandbagging in this session is actually Ferrari
You'd think that if Red Bull were sandbagging they'd at least keep their car on track and not locking up in the corners.
We all know Max does not mince his words. Max has pointed out that the same issues he battled all season last year are still present albeit a little less severe and that the 2025 car is not the leap forward the team was expecting. All of that is not great when many teams have made large strides forward since Abu Dhabi 2024.
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton has made that upward curve quite vertical
You know how they started winning races last year? Expect more of that and I suspect the kid prodigy will win one as well.
Red Bull has a LOT to do to get it past an even faster McLaren this year. I can see Red Bull winning a race or 5 but their era of dominance is over.
Let us not forget that Red Bull has yet to win more than 4 WDCs in a row.
Let us also not forget that no team has ever continued their winning ways after Adrian Newey left them (and he has worked for a fair number of teams)
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Decarin
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Not a truer word spoken
This season always stuck out for me... 1982 when Keke Roseberg won the title in the Williams Ford, who finished 4th in the constructors, but it was a very low scoring season for all the drivers, and it came down to who was the most consistent. Keke Rosberg only won 1 race that year. It definitely was not the fastest car that season.
Then we have 1983 as well, with Nelson Piquet winning the title, but the Brabham BMW finished 3rd in the constructors, again not the outright fastest car as well, but managed 4 wins, but 3 of them was in the final 3 races of the season.
Nope, this was definitely the 2nd best car in 1995, and the driver did make all the difference to win the title.
Jean Claude Vaaldamme
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You needed to quote my post twice?
Look everyone can have his own opinion. I am not going to go through (both) of your posts to analyze.
I will just quote your own words as to how much I value your opinion
In every prediction you made you have Hamilton winning the championship.
Lets not forget Hamilton is 40
And then you claim this about a 35 year old Perez
Sergio Perez only proved that he was a 2nd driver and would never win a championship, and he had ample opportunities with a better Red Bull in the past to do so, if he was that good, but consistency is needed when you want to fight for the title, it's been a proven factor for all drivers championships.
This year especially will be a pivotal examination of how good Max Verstappen really is, it will be his toughest season for competition yet I reckon, and if the Red Bull proves to be 3rd best only and he manages to win the title he just cements his position as a great driver, up there with the likes of Senna, Schumi etc. Every great driver has at least once done something magical in a season to highlight that fact. We have to be honest here, Max Verstappen hasn't had a really tough or testing season yet when fighting for the titles (however last year from mid season he didn't have it all his way), nor a team mate to push him closely and consistently. Other teams and their drivers have been more closely matched in recent years.
I certainly don't write Max Verstappen off, and he definitely will be moving to another team in the not too distant future and he'll be paid handsomely for his talents and achievements.
Once a driver can duplicate the same success in another team that will only elevate him even more to the all time greats pantheon.
Decarin
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First post was just about Verstappen and Red Bull.
After reading your post again I wanted to respond again but for each point.
These are two different drivers, one of whom has 7 World Driver Championships.
Lewis seems to really enjoy driving that Ferrari. We will see how that translates on race day.
If Lewis Hamilton should manage to win another title while at Ferrari, it would make him quite special. How many drivers have won a title with 3 or more different teams? Only one driver, none other than Juan Manuel Fangio, with 4 different teams.
Yes He has.
2021 was a tough battle all the way, and yes he was gifted the championship by the FIA, but he still had to fight Lewis hamilton on track in very close races.
Jean Claude Vaaldamme
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Ag please. All your posts is just how great Hamilton is. No objectivity.
Shumacher also got old and also was no match for the young guys and he was a far better driver than Hamilton.
JerryMungo
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And they ditched Andretti. Brown envelopes. So annoying.
JerryMungo
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Schumacher was beaten by Rosberg. Hamilton beat Rosberg more often than not.
Sorry, my bad, I thought this season didn't count and wasn't 'legit', yes it was tight.
Jean Claude Vaaldamme
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Are you stupid or something?
So a 29 year old Hamilton beat Rosberg
And Rosberg beat a 42 year old Schumacher.
Thats exactly what I said and my point.
By the same token, Alonso is even much better than Schumi was at the same age (40 onwards). I just hope that Aston Martin can be up there in 2026, I still believe that Alonso can challenge for a title if he has a competitive car, he showed that in 2023. Last year was just a failure of the equipment to do anything meaningful.
Decarin
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I was thinking of mentioning Alonso's 2023 tear, thanks
JerryMungo
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Alonso is showing no sign of slowing down for sure. He deffo had another WC in him in the right car.
Decarin
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I can't point out that someone has had a great career since he arrived at the sport who only slowed down after 2021 in his late 30's because the car wasn't quite up to scratch? And this same guy has tied the same amount of WDC's as the great Michael Schumacher? Same guy who managed to win some races last year because Mercedes got the car setup right?
I can say that Fangio was great and so was Senna, but not Hamilton?
All I'm saying is that a happy Hamilton is a quick Hamilton, and a quick Hamilton is a title contender even at 40 years of age.
Now you may make your arguments for Norris or Piastri or Leclerc or Verstappen all you like, but they have to go up against an all-time-great in a better car than he's had in years. Not to mention that winning the World Driver's Championship in a Ferrari is Hamilton's childhood dream, so that's some additional motivation there.
There are going to be some epic battles at the front for sure!
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