Max Verstappen still considers Lewis Hamilton to be a rival for the 2023 Formula 1 title despite doubts over how competitive Mercedes will be.
While pre-season testing scarcely provides a clear picture of exactly how competitive each team is, it is still useful as a general yardstick. Using it, the general consensus is that Red Bull will start the season as very much the team to beat.
Most also agree that Mercedes look to be off the pace again. After a difficult 2022 season they would have hoped to be right back in a title fight at the earliest opportunity, though the feeling is the Silver Arrows could struggle to challenge.
Not that Verstappen sees it that way. The double champion still counts his rival Hamilton as one of the main threats to his title defence this year and thinks it's possible for the Brit's team to find significant performance gains as the season progresses.
He told the Evening Standard : "I don't count out Lewis and Mercedes. They have a different philosophy and maybe it takes a little bit more time to nail it.
"With these new cars, we don't know what direction it is going to give the biggest margin in terms of where you improve. Maybe at one point, we stall, I don't know. Maybe they still have a lot of untapped potential."
Last year, Hamilton endured his first ever F1 season in which he failed to win a single race. The team only managed one overall, on what turned out to be a glorious weekend in Brazil where they secured a one-two finish – but with George Russell ahead of the seven-time world champion.
The younger Brit also finished ahead in the drivers' standings by 35 points. But Verstappen is not convinced that it was a sign that Hamilton, 38, is starting to decline – pointing at 41-year-old Fernando Alonso as a prime example of how racers can continue at the top level for longer these days.
The Dutchman added: "I think in F1 age is not like where you lose a bit of pace. I think Fernando shows that it's definitely possible to continue at the top."
