Verstappen: Bottas 'not there' in Hamilton battle

Max Verstappen is hoping that Red Bull can emulate the success of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes by launching an assault on both championships next season, but thinks the Brit's time has been made "easier" thanks to his car - as well as an uncompetitive team-mate in Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton and Mercedes eventually cruised to both the driver's and constructor's titles respectively in 2018, with the team taking advantage of a downturn in form from Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari to be crowned champions.

Red Bull have ditched their Renault power units in favour of Honda for the 2019 season in an attempt to challenge Mercedes, and Verstappen thinks having a competitive car is a major contributing factor to Hamilton's title win, including his first 2008, while saying his team-mate, Bottas, is "not there" to derail his title challenges.

"If we can just do a bit better and then do a season like Lewis just had then it is already a lot better for the championship," he told Ziggo Sport.

"It is not about being ready or not ready. You just have to have the right material.

"Lewis was ready in his first year already, just because he had a really good car. But now he also has less pressure.

"He has a very good car and his teammate is not there anyway. When the whole team is all about you, it's a lot easier. And the better your car is, the easier it is again."

Verstappen remains positive about the switch from Renault to Honda engines for Red Bull, and claims it is already better than the power units they had previously.

"The engine for next year is a completely new one," the Dutchman continued.

"It has been on the test bench for a while but it's a bit of a wait. I think the prospects are good compared to what we had until now. It is definitely a lot better."

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