Max Verstappen has responded with scepticism to Lewis Hamilton's claims Mercedes will not be competing for victories in the early stages of the 2022 Formula One season.
Verstappen, who beat Hamilton to the 2021 Drivers' Championship in controversial circumstances at last December's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, posted the fastest time on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Saturday.
Ahead of Bahrain hosting the first Grand Prix of the season next week, Hamilton suggested Mercedes will likely not be competing for early season wins, due to problems with the team's new W13 car.
His rival Verstappen, however, scoffed at those comments, accusing Mercedes, and other Formula One teams, of playing down their potential before the season begins.
"[It's] always like this," the world champion said in quotes reported by Autosport.
"If someone is doing well or a team that everyone expects to do well, then it's 'oh no, we're definitely not the favourite'.
"And then a week later, when things do go well, all of a sudden it's 'oh no, but we turned it around completely within a week. Not normal, unbelievable work. Thanks to all people in the factory!'"
Verstappen also noted Mercedes were "very strong during the first race weekend" in 2021, with Hamilton winning the season opener in Bahrain after making similar comments about the team's issues this time last year.
The 24-year-old also spoke of Ferrari as potential rivals for Red Bull during the coming season, noting they had been "consistently fast" throughout pre-season.
"They [Ferrari] clearly have a stable car at the moment," he added.
"It just looks good for them, they have had very few problems as well. We will see next week who is fastest, but so far, they have had a very good test.
"The last two years weren't great for them, so you automatically start looking at this season a bit earlier than some of the other teams. It's more than normal that they started earlier than us on the 2022 car and that's okay as well.
"In the end, with these new cars, the development rate during the season is the most important thing."
Horner hints Perez 'knows the situation' amid Red Bull exit talks
Christian Horner hinted that Sergio Perez's Red Bull future is up to the driver himself amid rumours he will lose his seat after this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Perez has been under pressure for most of this season after scoring just 152 of Red Bull's 581 points and rarely getting near team-mate Max Verstappen, despite starting strong.
He finished on the podium in four of the first five races of the campaign, netting him a two-year contract extension in June.
However, the Mexican endured another tough weekend in Qatar, failing to finish the race, which meant that Red Bull are now officially out of the hunt for the constructor's title.
Perez has now retired from 37 races, four of which have been this year. Only in 2012 (six) has he had more in one year in the competition (also four in 2014).
Despite having a drive on paper for the 2025 season, Horner conceded to Sky Sports F1 that his lack of results of late have cost the team.
"Checo has been a wonderful driver for us. Certainly, in 2021, 2022, 2023, he contributed to Max's championship in 2021 and the constructors' in 2022 and 2023," Horner said.
"Most of all, he's a great guy. He's not enjoying the situation he's in at the moment. He knows the pressure of this business.
"We are going to give him all the support we can all the way to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. What he decides to do, that will be his decision at the end of the day.
"He's old enough and wise enough to come to his own conclusions. There's still a race to go."
RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are the two leading candidates to replace Perez at Red Bull for 2025.
Tsunoda will drive the main Red Bull car for the first time in his career at the post-season Abu Dhabi Test next Tuesday.
The Japanese driver has also got the better of Lawson in their five events as team-mates at RB, following Daniel Ricciardo's departure in September.
FIA stands by Lando Norris penalty at Qatar GP
The FIA is standing by its decision to penalise McLaren driver Lando Norris at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Norris was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to lift the throttle while double yellow flags were being waved.
The 25-year-old dropped from second to last among the remaining drivers, with the decision having a big impact in the Constructors' Championship battle.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the penalty as "brutal" in an interview with Sky Sports and accused officials of lacking consistency.
Lando Norris collected what could prove to be a crucial bonus point in his and McLaren's quest for constructors' glory
Join @LandoNorris as he scoops the DHL Fastest Lap in Qatar! Full 2024 leaderboard https://t.co/sOAsD9IxzG#F1 #MomentsThatDeliver @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/k5ryP7jgCk
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2024
However, in a statement released on Monday, F1's governing body explained why the decision was the correct one.
"The penalty was in accordance with the penalty guidelines circulated to the teams on 19 February 2024," part of the statement read.
"A double yellow flag infringement is considered a serious compromise of safety, which is why such offences carry such a severe penalty."
The FIA went on to state that the specific scenario would be reviewed and a new process may be established down the line.
McLaren's lead over Ferrari has been cut to 21 points heading into the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Verstappen has "lost all respect" for Russell after Qatar GP penalty
Max Verstappen has "lost all respect" for George Russell after the Mercedes driver's role in demoting the four-time world champion from pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Russell was promoted to pole, but it was Verstappen who crossed the finish line first, joined by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Oscar Piastri on the podium.
Verstappen was slapped with a rare one-place grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Russell in qualifying, although the stewards, after a hearing attended by both drivers, said there were mitigating circumstances as neither driver was on a flying lap.
"I was quite surprised, when sitting there in the stewards' room, what was all going on," Verstappen told Sky Sports after winning Sunday's race.
"It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each other a lot.
"I've been in that meeting room many times in my life and my career with people that I've raced. And I've never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.
"I couldn't believe that I got [the penalty]. But in a way, I was also not surprised anymore in the world that I live in.
"I'm not happy with it, but at one point or another you have to just turn the page.
"It wasn't very enjoyable to see that happen because I think that's the first time that in a slow lap someone has been penalised.
"Actually, I just tried to be nice, so maybe I shouldn't be nice. I didn't want to screw anyone over to prepare their lap. And by doing that, being nice, basically you get a penalty."
Verstappen's win in Qatar saw him become only the third driver in Formula One history to break the 3,000 points barrier, joining Lewis Hamilton (4,847.50) and Sebastian Vettel (3,098) in achieving the feat.
Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that the 27-year-old driver used the incident as a fuel to breeze to a ninth victory of the season.
"He was annoyed with George, and the way things played out in front of the stewards. And he carried that motivation into the race," Horner said.
"It was clearly evident that he was super-motivated going into this race.
"I think you could sense that George kind of sensed that as well. I think there was a little bit of a moment between the two of them on the trailer as they went around the circuit, that Max felt that things just went a bit too far."
The 2024 F1 season will conclude this weekend with the Abu Dhabi GP, with McLaren and Ferrari still battling for the Constructors' Championship.
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