Verstappen expects Hamilton to continue at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton departing Mercedes will not necessarily be a choice that the Formula 1 world champion will make, Max Verstappen has suggested.

The 2019 F1 season has ended amid wild speculation that Hamilton is seeking a move to Ferrari in 2021, something that neither the reigning champion or the Scuderia have moved to deny.

Although Verstappen is aware that Hamilton is closer to the end of his career than the start, he doubts that the six-time world champion will depart the Silver Arrows if they look to be the best bet to continue his dominance in F1.

Verstappen told Autocar: "I mean, Lewis is getting older; he's [almost] 35 now, so will stop at one point. But it's just going to depend on the team, to be honest.

"It's not going to depend on Lewis. Because if Mercedes keeps building really dominant cars, then for sure he's going to win.

"So we have to just make sure as a team that we can beat them. In Formula 1, you're very dependent on your car."

Although Hamilton is not going anywhere just yet, Verstappen is predicted to engage in a career-defining rivalry with Charles Leclerc in the years to come.

The pair were rivals in karting, and took different routes to F1, but are now in close quarters again with a number of scraps in 2019 whetting the appetite.

"It's no different to anyone else," Verstappen said. "I've known him longer than other people, and I've raced him for a longer time.

"He's a great driver, a big talent, and for him it's a big opportunity to be in Ferrari, and I expect to fight him still for a very long time, because we are still very young.

"It's good for the sport as well to have the young guys coming up and hopefully taking over, because it's getting a bit boring seeing Lewis win; we have to try and change that with all the young guys!"

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