Lammers doesn't write off Mercedes just yet: 'Fight with three teams this year'

Charles Leclerc won the first Grand Prix of 2022, and the Monegasque, despite some several attempts for the lead by Max Verstappen, dominated the race. According to Jan Lammers, it is still too early to say that the new champion has risen, but gains have already been made this weekend.

According to the former F1 driver, the gain is mainly in the fact that a battle was immediately created between different teams and drivers. Ferrari seemed fastest, but Max Verstappen was able to keep the RB18 close to Leclerc's F1-75 due to his excellent racing skills. Dione de Graaff asks Lammers on the NOS Formula 1 Podcast if a new king has risen in Bahrain.

This F1 season battle between three teams

Lammers: "Of course it is too early to decide. Of course, after such a convincing race you think: 'He'll walk straight to the championship'. We thought the same last year with Verstappen. The biggest gain we have to see at the moment is the prospect of having a battle between three teams." The sporting director of the Dutch GP thinks it will be between Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes this year. So Lammers is not writing Mercedes off yet.

That Dutch fans are Red Bull fans is almost beyond dispute. Lammers also says that every F1 fan is also a bit of a Ferrari fan. Therefore, the Dutchman thinks it will be 'a wonderful season'. That Mercedes is not yet written off by the F1 analyst because Lewis Hamilton is still driving with the team. Although they didn't get it right during free practice and drove a not too strong qualifying session, the seven-time world champion 'just' managed to finish on the podium again. Hamilton was lucky with the debacle at Red Bull Racing, but the Brit did finish the race, which Verstappen and Sergio Perez didn't.