Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Make a Huge Prediction About Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s Dominance in Formula 1

Before the start of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Charles Leclerc said that he believes Red Bull and Max Verstappen will continue to win until the end of the 2025 season. Lewis Hamilton has agreed to this assumption made by the Ferrari driver.

Before the weekend of the Dutch Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton said:

“The fact is, they are ahead and most likely have started developing not next year’s car already months before everybody else as they’re 100, 200 points ahead in the championship. So it’s very possible that Charles could be right.

“We’re working on a steep gradient trying to develop and get ourselves to close the gap,” Hamilton continued. “Whether or not we can next year will be proved within that. I hope we can.”

⚠️ | Lewis Hamilton agrees with Charles Leclerc’s prediction that Red Bull might dominate until 2026.

“It’s very possible that Charles could be right.”

“The fact is, they are ahead and most likely have started developing next year’s car already months before everybody else as… pic.twitter.com/gdlyZ3Rth1

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 25, 2023

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc believe that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will continue their dominance until the 2026 season. This seems similar to the domination by Mercedes during the turbo-hybrid era. 

Ever since the regulation change in 2022, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been completely dominating the sport. Last year it looked like Ferrari had the pace to challenge Red Bull. Unfortunately, their car had so many reliability issues that Max Verstappen won the Championship a few races early. 

This year, it has been clear from the start that the Austrian team had the dominant car. After the first race, George Russell said he expects Red Bull to win all the races this season. So far, they have not lost a single race. 

As it stands, none of the other teams has been able to come close to Red Bull in terms of pace. So if it stays that way, let’s take a look at whether Max Verstappen can win all the WDCs until the 2026 season. 

Will Max Verstappen win 5 Championships by 2026?

If Max Verstappen continues to dominate until the 2026 season, he will be able to win 5 Championships. By winning these 5 Championships, only 2 other drivers will have won more titles than him. If Red Bull continues to dominate, only his teammate will be able to challenge him.

Sergio Perez has not been performing well when compared to Max Verstappen in the last few races. He claims that he lost a bit of confidence in the car after crashing during the qualifying session of the Monaco Grand Prix. There is a chance that he has regained his confidence in the car over the summer break. So he could come back and try to match Verstappen’s pace. In this scenario, he could challenge Max for the 2024 title.

If Sergio Perez is not able to match Verstappen’s pace by the end of 2024, it is likely that he will be replaced. Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris are 2 of the candidates who are lined up as possible replacements.

��| David Croft believes #RedBull are attracted by Lando Norris’ because of doubts over Max Verstappen’s longevity

“The more Max says ‘I might not be around after 2028, I might retire early and do other things’, the more Red Bull feel…” pic.twitter.com/Uy2vfoaQZC

— McLaren F1 News �� (@FormulaShambles) August 25, 2023

Ricciardo was considered to be a future Champion during his time with Red Bull. Although his performance faded after departing from the team, he has been on a path to regain that confidence he once had. If Ricciardo is able to get his mojo back, he could be at the same level as Max Verstappen.

Lando Norris is one of the most talented drivers in the sport now. He is already fighting for podiums in a much inferior McLaren. If he was given the same car as Max Verstappen, there is no doubt that he would come up as a major contender for the title. 

Let’s see how long Max Verstappen and Red Bull are able to continue their domination. Will they be able to stay competitive after 2026 as well? Only time will tell.