It is no secret that Max Verstappen has been one of the most prolific qualifiers in Formula 1 since Red Bull’s run of dominance started in 2022.
The Dutchman has taken seven poles out of a possible nine in 2024, while other drivers on the grid have struggled to get close to him over single-lap pace.
Mercedes was their closest challenger before the ruleset came into play, but now Ferrari and McLaren have emerged as their nearest rivals on track.
With the Silver Arrows slip in performance, it has affected one of its drivers according to the 1996 F1 World Champion, when discussing who could beat Verstappen in a qualifying head-to-head on the F1 Nation Podcast.
Damon Hill makes admission over Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton holds the all-time record for poles in F1 at 104 in his career, but in the last three seasons, he has only achieved one pole at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
It was the first time the seven-time World Champion started from the front row of a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, putting into perspective how far behind Mercedes is on raw pace.
Hill believes this has impacted his performance, as he has not out-qualified teammate George Russell at any races this season.
“Lewis 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 [Verstappen], Fernando [Alonso] similarly. As you get older the real sharp speed seems to go,” said Hill.
Lewis Hamilton does not expect to out-qualify George Russell
Hamilton has been largely downbeat about his qualifying performances this season, expressing his disappointment that he did not extract more out of the car at recent races.
Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle observed that both drivers are having to ‘drag’ lap time out of the W15, instead of finding a ‘natural’ rhythm.
Russell has admitted that he is more comfortable in the car than Hamilton and can find a sweet spot in consistency. By contrast, Hamilton admitted that he did not expect to out-qualify Russell this year when speaking to media in Monaco.
The post ‘Seems to go’: Damon Hill now suggests that 55-point F1 driver has lost ‘a tiny bit of edge’ this season appeared first on F1 Oversteer.