‘Verstappen now does what Hamilton has been doing all year’

While the Formula 1 season of 2020 has only just finished, we are eagerly awaiting the coming season. There is a lot of looking back on the past season, and speculation about what this could mean for the 2021 season.

"He's always working on what needs to be improved. Over the onboard radio you can hear him say: 'No, we're not going to do it like this'", says Plooij in conversation with Motorsport.com. "What Lewis Hamilton has been doing all year, you can now hear Max doing it for the first time. I loved that he said: 'We shouldn't look at Mercedes, we're going to drive our own race'. This shows how he's grown.

Victory in Abu Dhabi significant for the 2021 season?

Verstappen ended the season with a dominant victory in Abu Dhabi. However, according to Verstappen, this doesn't mean anything about the coming season, but Plooij begs to differ. "I think he tried very hard to downplay it because everyone is saying that they are really going to do it now."

In the meantime, there are rumours that Honda has built a very strong engine for the coming season, which should provide the team with an extra 40 horsepower. "That could be all PR talk, but if it's true, it might mean it's going to be very close together. If so, he's going to take the title", said Plooij.