Briatore: "It's all about Hamilton and Verstappen in F1"

Lewis Hamilton has been dominant with Mercedes for years, but the young newcomers are very eager to knock the Brit from his throne. The only drivers that come a bit close are Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, where it looks as if only the former can really compete with the world champion.

Battle between Hamilton and Verstappen

As soon as the season starts we will see how close the teams really are to each other. Because is Mercedes much faster again or is the self-confidence of Red Bull Racing justified and will they really be able to fight? It's still to be seen, former team boss of Benetton and Renault, Flavio Briatore, is looking forward to the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen.

In the Beyond the Grid podcast Briatore says: "Verstappen is a great driver. The way he drives and overtakes is really fantastic, he's a real gladiator". According to Briatore, the Dutchman is the man who can make things difficult for Hamilton, who hasn't had a hard time in recent years because he wasn't constantly under pressure.

Making mistakes

"It's the same for everyone," says Briatore, "When Schumacher got someone around he sometimes made a mistake and so did Fernando Alonso. Everyone makes mistakes." And Hamilton could make those mistakes the moment he gets in fights with Verstappen on a regular basis.

"If Hamilton can drive to the finish line like a taxi driver and win everything, then he's a great driver. That's fantastic", says the former team boss before concluding: "Hamilton is one of the two stars in Formula 1. It's all about Hamilton and Verstappen".