LONDON
\nFormula One world champion Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton face an awkward final campaign at Mercedes after his title rival\u2019s dramatic move to Ferrari for the 2025 season.
\nHamilton, 39, stunned motorsport by announcing even before next month\u2019s opening 2024 Grand Prix in Bahrain that he would be leaving Mercedes, with whom he has won six of his seven world titles, to race for Italian giants Ferrari next year.
\nOn Wednesday, Hamilton \u2014 without a win in two years \u2014 made his first public appearance since news of his dramatic transfer became public by insisting he was determined to get Mercedes \u201cback to where we once were\u201d.
\nBut Verstappen, speaking at Red Bull\u2019s car launch on Thursday, predicted that would be easier said than done now it was known Hamilton would be leaving the \u2018Silver Arrows\u2019 for the red of Ferrari.
\nThe Dutchman, who won 19 out of last season\u2019s 22 races as he surged towards a third consecutive Drivers\u2019 Championship, even suggested Hamilton would be barred from some Mercedes team meetings during the 2024 season because he was destined to join a rival outfit.
\n\u201cFor the rest of the year, I would say it\u2019s a little bit awkward,\u201d said Verstappen at Red Bull\u2019s factory in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, on Thursday.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not like they are suddenly enemies. He has achieved so many great things with them. They are still behind him, and for sure he has a great relationship with everyone, especially (Mercedes team principal) Toto (Wolff).\u201d
\nThe 26-year-old, however, added: \u201cBut he knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him: \u2018Look, I know we\u2019ve had all this success, but you can\u2019t be part of certain meetings any more\u2019.
\n\u201cThat is normal in F1. It\u2019s probably a bit weird. But you are professional enough to deal with that. And once he\u2019s sitting in the car, they will of course go flat out for him.\u201d
\nVerstappen said he believed Hamilton and Ferrari had been forced into announcing the British driver\u2019s move sooner than planned.
\n\u201cIt must have been leaked to announce something that big that early in the season,\u201d he said. \u201cHim going to Ferrari is not really shocking. It\u2019s not a surprise they were talking. I just think the announcement was a bit rushed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Formula One world champion Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton face an awkward final campaign at Mercedes after his title rival\u2019s dramatic move to Ferrari for the 2025 season. Hamilton, 39, stunned motorsport by announcing even before next month\u2019s opening 2024 Grand Prix in Bahrain that he would be leaving Mercedes, with whom he has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n