Max Verstappen given warning as Damon Hill makes claim about four F1 rivals (2024)

Damon Hill thinks Max Verstappen has competition for his crown (Image: Getty)

Damon Hill has warned Max Verstappen that there are four drivers who could outqualify him if he is not at the top of his game. The Red Bull ace was victorious at the Canadian Grand Prix but he had to begin the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve behind George Russell.

Russell began the GP in pole position, but could only muster a third-placed finish behind Lando Norris and the reigning world champion. Verstappen is on course to win a fourth consecutive title having moved 31 points ahead in the standings.

Yet the last few weeks have been difficult for the 26-year-old, as McLaren and Ferrari have both won races since the beginning of May, while Mercedes are also pushing Red Bull close. Ahead of the coming Spanish GP, Hill, who won the world championship in 1996, warned Verstappen there are other drivers behind who can trouble him in qualifying.

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In an appearance on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill was asked whether anybody on the track is capable of outqualifying Verstappen. When his co-host Tom Clarkson admitted he does not think anyone can outqualify Verstappen on a consistent basis, the 63-year-old said: “I’m going to throw a few possibles out there.

"I’m going to say Lewis [Hamilton] has lost a tiny bit of edge this year. I’m not saying he couldn’t get it back again if he was in competition with Max.

"Fernando [Alonso] similarly, I think maybe as you get older the real sharp speed seems to go. Maybe George [Russell], maybe Charles [Leclerc], there are still some candidates out there who could surprise him and put pressure on him that he wouldn’t enjoy.

Verstappen was victorious at the Canadian GP (Image: Getty)

“But then those people are nailed on somewhere so they’re not going to be coming to Red Bull.” A matter of weeks ago, there was a feeling around the sport that Verstappen's Red Bull partner Sergio Perez was destined for the exit door.

The Mexican began the 2024 campaign strongly with three second placed finishes in the first five Grand Prix, but he has not finished in the top two since the Japanese GP at the start of April.

However, Perez put pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension with the Milton Keynes outfit at the start of June. Hill believed this was a smart move by the reigning world champs.

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He added: “If you want Max to stick with you and be confident that he knows what the future is going to be like, then maybe signing Checo is a way of saying to him, ‘Look, this is what the future is going to look like, you’re not going to have a surprise new, super quick team-mate to worry about, who might take a lot of attention’."

Verstappen is the favourite heading into the Spanish GP having already won three Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. Ahead of the GP, Verstappen said: "I have great memories from the circuit, especially winning my first Formula One race there.

"It has a good mix of high and low-speed corners and we have historically driven well there so hopefully we can maximise the performance of the car this weekend. We are aiming to keep the momentum going from Canada, so we are looking forward to racing this weekend and hopefully have some good weather."

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