Hamilton impressed: 'He's driving really well'

If the first Grand Prix was an omen for the rest of the season, then we can prepare for a battle of titans. It will be between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who were very much matched in Bahrain. For now, it looks as though Red Bull have got it better than Mercedes, but that's no reason to change their approach to race weekends. At least, not for the seven-time champion.

No change

The threat to Lewis Hamilton this year comes from Red Bull Racing. 2020 was a fairly easy year for the British driver in that context, where Sebastian Vettel was still a threat before that. The competition has clearly increased this year, but the approach to each weekend is still as it was before.

Thus Hamilton says to Formula1.com: "Nothing changes for us; we approach every weekend in exactly the same way we have. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." He bases this on the past, where he often had to compete against Sebastian Vettel.

Thus Hamilton continued, "I think we have had multiple battles with Ferrari, with Seb when he was at Ferrari, and we just have got to keep our heads down. We do what we do, we love the challenge and as I said, it’s exciting for us that we do have such a challenge on our hands and it’s not one that we shy away from."

Verstappen is doing well

The differences between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing are small, but both top drivers have already indicated that the weekend in Bahrain was not the best. So the real showdown will only come as the season progresses. In doing so Hamilton is obviously taking into account the capabilities of his direct opponent, who he is clearly not underestimating.

"I think it was clear that Red Bull have started off really, really well, with a great package, and Max Verstappen’s driving really well. It’s set up for a good season ahead. Of course, we don’t know what to expect going forward into the next races with different temperatures and track surfaces but it’s going to be fun, one way or another," the British champion said.