Max Verstappen will probably have enjoyed not having Lewis Hamilton for company at the front of the grid this season, with Mercedes really struggling to tackle the regulation changes in the first half of the season.
Last year’s battle between the pair was electric, boiling over on multiple occasions, and only being decided on the very final lap of the last race of the season, with both drivers pushing each other to, and even beyond their limits.
Without Hamilton having the machinery to battle him once again, Verstappen cruised to the 2022 title, with nearest rival Charles Leclerc falling far behind the 25-year-old after reliability and communication issues saw Ferrari begin to struggle.
The Dutchman has, however urged his British adversary to sign a contract extension with Mercedes, which would see the seven-time world champion continue potentially into his 40s in a bid to secure the record breaking eighth title.
READ: George Russell makes claim about Lewis Hamilton’s last few races
“He has to do what he feels is right and as long as he wants to race, he should do it. From our side, we have had already great battles. I’m sure that in the coming years, all of the teams will get a bit closer anyway so it will be interesting to see who is up there to fight,” said the Dutchman.
Toto Wolff has confirmed that Mercedes and Hamilton are currently focusing on winning their first race of the 2022 season, and will sit down to begin talks over a multi-year contract extension in the off season period.
READ: ‘A big joke’: Red Bull won’t be affected by FIA’s penalty until 2024
“We’re going to sit down and we’re going to discuss it in these next couple of months, I would say. My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13 and they really are my family,” said Hamilton when asked about his future.
The 37-year-old will be reassured by the comments coming from his team in recent weeks, with Mercedes claiming that they know exactly what went wrong this year, and reassuring fans that they can find the step up in lap time to be competitive once again next year, giving Hamilton another shot at his eighth world title.
Hamilton is already considered one of the best of all time, but if he could go on to beat Michael Schumacher’s record before he retires it would put him in a league of his one when looking back at the greats of the racing world.