Following a blockbuster run at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has sent a shockwave of ‘2023 all over again’ flashbacks to his F1 rivals, and likely have even scared them off with the ‘monstrous’ RB20 challenger. His spectacular performance on Bahrain grounds has already sucked in much praise from the Formula 1 community, like Mercedes’ George Russell.
As for the Mercedes man, George Russell has recently singled out Max Verstappen as the clear favorite for the 2024 Formula 1 title.
George Russell drops bold Max Verstappen 2024 F1 championship claim
As the Bahrain Grand Prix bid adieu, Max Verstappen–the reigning F1 champ–crossed the chequered flag at P1 with a run time of 1:31:44.742 hrs: 22.457s earlier than 2nd-placed Sergio Perez and a staggering 46.788s faster than Mercedes’ George Russell.
In a recent interview after the Bahrain GP, George Russell, who secured P5 for Mercedes, opened up on Max Verstappen’s dominating sprint at the Sakhir circuit, and even considered the Dutchman to be ‘undefeatable’ in the race for the 2024 F1 title.
“Red Bull have always been strong here,” Russell started, by quoting this one-liner.
Predicting Max Verstappen to be in the driving seat for the title, he said, “I do think it’s too early to say, but no doubt, Max is the favorite.”
“I don’t think anybody’s going to be fighting him for the championship this year,” he added.
Still expecting few Grand Prix victories from Verstappen’s rivals, he concluded by saying, “[But] I hope some people are going to be battling for victories here or there.”
George Russell’s strong words for Max Verstappen come at a time when the Red Bull Champion man is being rumored for a move to the Silver Arrows’ seat.
Max Verstappen thrilled at Red Bull amid Mercedes whispers
Max Verstappen currently sits right at the center of a ‘spicy’ rumor touting him away from the Red Bull camp to archrivals Mercedes in 2025: a thing that skyrocketed after Jos’ bust-up with Team Principal Christian Horner at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
In a recent interview with Marca, Max Verstappen expressed his opinion on his rumored move away from Red Bull, saying, “I don’t think about it too much. I’m very relaxed. Like I said, I’m very happy with the team. I’m happy in the team, the performance is there, there’s no reason to leave.”
During the interview, Max Verstappen also revealed his intention of serving out his contract at Red Bull. He added, “Of course, that has always been the intention of the signing. That’s why we signed up for so long to be here.”
“But I also know what they’ve done for me in my career, right? So of course, the intention is absolutely to stay in this team because I really enjoy it,” he concluded.
Red Bull’s agreement with their ‘Flying Dutchman’ is currently the longest contract on the Formula 1 grid, and will keep the 3x F1 World Champion tied to the team until 2028. Max Verstappen will now take on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as Red Bull returns to action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 9th March.
Will Verstappen really clinch away the 2024 F1 title without being challenged? Is there truly no reason for him to leave Red Bull? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
