Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes can get closer to Red Bull before season ends Photo: Reuters/Albert Gea
Lewis Hamilton says he » absolutely» expects Max Verstappen to surpass his race win record someday and is just focused on getting his score up to there.
Verstappen, a two-time world champion, will equal Ayrton Senna with 41 race wins if he emerges victorious in Montreal on Sunday. The victory would also be a landmark 100th Grand Prix success for Red Bull if they do, which they are expected to do given they have won every other race this year. That's still less than Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history with 103 wins. But the seven-time world champion admitted that he did not hope to stay ahead forever.
“He has a very long career ahead of him, so absolutely,” Hamilton replied when asked if he expected the 25-year-old Verstappen to ever surpass him. “At the end of the day, records have to be broken and he has a great team. But [in the meantime] we need to work harder to try and expand [his track record]. I hope that in this last period of my career we will still have some tough races.”
It is still unclear how long Hamilton will be in action. The 38-year-old was once again asked about his new contract, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggesting that it had been «more days than weeks» this week before an extension was confirmed. However, Hamilton seemed to hint that there might still be some bargaining to be done.
“I really don’t have anything to say [about the contract],” he said. “It will be done when it is done. If it's done next week or next month, it doesn't really bother me.» Asked if there was progress, Hamilton added: “Yes, I saw Toto. We talked several times. We have a great relationship, but nothing special can be added.”
Hamilton eyeing Silverstone battle with Red Bull
Hamilton was more interested in talking about the new Mercedes car that debuted in Monaco last month and then propelled himself and teammate George Russell to second and third respectively to Barcelona for the last time. The circuit in Montreal is not expected to be as Mercedes-friendly as Catalonia, but Hamilton nonetheless expressed hope that the team has turned the corner in Spain, saying he is now «very excited» to hit next month. to his home Grand Prix at Silverstone.
“I really hope that the results we showed in the last race [were representative],” Hamilton said. “I think we were three tenths behind Red Bull [per lap], which is the closest result this year. Maybe [Silverstone] will be a race where we can actually race.»
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