Hamilton to challenge Verstappen again with Ferrari ‘jump’ – Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner can see the F1 rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton being renewed next year when the British driver joins Ferrari.

Since the duo infamously went head-to-head in 2021, culminating in one of the most contentious conclusions to a season in F1 history, the on-track battles between them have been sorely limited.

That has been due to the arrival of the ground-effect regulations at the start of 2022, resulting in Red Bull’s rise to dominance and Mercedes’ suffering mediocrity, bar the occasional victory tonic.

At the start of this year, however, Hamilton announced he would severing his longstanding ties with Mercedes, and instead joining Ferrari to see out his prestigious F1 career.

There were occasions this year, particularly mid-season when Ferrari dipped and Hamilton won two of three grands prix, including a stirring triumph on home soil at Silverstone, that it appeared as if he had made the decision.

But Ferrari has thrust itself back to the front of the grid, notably winning in the United States and Mexico, to take the fight in the constructors’ championship to McLaren.

It augurs well for Hamilton’s move, with Horner, for one, claiming it will be “very interesting to see how Lewis acclimatises to life at Ferrari.

Speaking to Talksport on the prospect of Verstappen and Hamilton picking up where they left off in 2021 with the seven-time F1 champion switching to the Scuderia, Horner said: “He’s obviously coming out of a very comfortable environment, one that he knows very well over the last 10 years, more than 10 years. So that’ll be a change for him.

“Charles Leclerc is another very fast driver. But Ferrari is a team that looks like they’re picking up momentum. For sure, a driver of Lewis’ quality is always going to be a challenger.

“He could be just jumping at the right time. He’s obviously seen things that he’s chosen to change teams for because he believes in the future of Ferrari, so that’s going to be fascinating to see how that plays out.”