Hamilton: Verstappen at perfect place with Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton says Max Verstappen is in the ideal situation to continue his Formula 1 development at Red Bull and is confident the Dutch driver will become a future world champion.

The reigning F1 world champion has been impressed by Verstappen’s rapid rise through the ranks despite only turning 20 last September and has relished the Red Bull driver’s battles at the sharp-end of the grid since stepping up to the Milton Keynes-based squad midway through 2016.

Hamilton believes Verstappen is well set to continue his quick development in F1 at Red Bull, having recently re-signed with the team until the end of the 2020 season, and has tipped him as a future F1 world champion.

“He definitely has the potential to be a world champion as we’ve all seen that and that is why he has such a great following,” Hamilton said. “We’ve seen the way he drives and he has great potential and is in a great team. I think he is in the perfect place to continue growing.

“He has a long time ahead of him even with a good few seasons under his belt. I still hadn’t even had my first season at 20 so he is even further ahead than me and a lot of the drivers.

“While I’m here I am going to be doing what I can to stop him winning. People won’t particularly love that but that is what we are here to do, we are here to battle and I am looking forward to having some really positive battles with him – hopefully this year.”

Verstappen became the youngest F1 race winner when he clinched a dramatic victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix – on his Red Bull Racing debut – and still has three years to beat Sebastian Vettel’s record as the youngest F1 world champion when the German clinched the 2010 world title aged 23 years and 134 days.