Damon Hill drops Lewis Hamilton hint that will get Max Verstappen’s attention

Max Verstappen sent offer to quit Red Bull and join F1 rival keen to be his team-mate

Damon Hill has warned Max Verstappen that Mercedes could have a title contender ‘in their back pocket’ for next year, which may put Lewis Hamilton back in contention for the end-of-season honours. Red Bull have dominated proceedings since Verstappen clinched his maiden title in 2021, with the Silver Arrows having fallen away from the top of the pile.

Mercedes have failed to win a single Grand Prix this year, with Red Bull claiming the spoils at every single race so far. It could be a very different story next time around, though, with Hill insisting that Mercedes could already have a title-winning car on the drawing board.

However, he added that the Silver Arrows will not be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour until next year as the changes will not be adaptable to fit their current car.

“I think they’re beavering away back at the factory in Brackley furiously and they probably have a title contender in their back pocket,” Hill told Sky Sports News. “They just can’t use it this year because it won’t fit on this particular car, so it won’t be until next year when we’ll see that.”

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It remains to be seen whether Mercedes will be able to challenge Red Bull for regular Grand Prix wins next year if Hill’s prediction is correct. They have already teased fundamental changes to their design philosophy for 2024 after persisting with their failed ‘zeropod’ concept until earlier this season.

Toto Wolff recently promised that Mercedes will ‘come up good’ over the course of next year, adding: “The direction our team is developing is really quite interesting. We see opportunities and we are not shying away. We are leaving no stone unturned, and looking at every single concept that we’ve seen on other cars.”

Hamilton, meanwhile, has made it clear that he wants to fight for wins from the outset next season as he continues to hunt a record-breaking eighth Drivers’ Championship title.

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“Of course I want to develop the car as much as possible this season, but my eyes are clearly already on 2024,” he told RTBF at the Austrian Grand Prix.

“I want us to have a car capable of fighting for victory from the first race. I don’t think we absolutely have to focus on a victory this season. The majority of our efforts must be concentrated on next year and on the fact of being able to race at the front, to be competitive, to compete with the others.

“When a team is one, two or three months ahead of you in terms of development, it’s impossible to catch up with them during the season and I don’t want to chase after the others again next season. I don’t want to play hunter for another year.”

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