"Frankly, he had every chance": Damon Hill reflects on Max Verstappen's frustration of not winning in Jeddah

Max Verstappen's frustration after the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP was recently discussed by former F1 champion, Damon Hill. Sergio Perez led the race and kept a consistent gap between himself and Verstappen, not allowing the Dutchman to win. Though the reigning world champion was happy with the team's result, he wanted the win for himself.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill reflected on how Max Verstappen must have felt after the race. He also stated how Red Bull did not intentionally sabotage the Dutchman's race and simply wanted to bring home maximum points. The former F1 driver said:

"He looked like he was very upset that he had been hard done by for some reason, but frankly, he had every chance to catch up with Checo and he couldn't. So, he had to go through the field and everything, but that's because of the mechanical problem. The team is doing their best, you know, its not like they have deliberately singled him out for anything."

Hill later spoke about how Red Bull know that they will win the constructors' championship, regardless of which driver wins the title. He also said it was unusual for teams to favor a particular driver. Hill explained:

"It's intense between the drivers, but as far as the team go, they know they are sitting pretty because they know they are going to win. They are going to win the championship [regardless of] whichever driver wins. They might have a preferred driver; it's unusual for teams to, you know, particularly hedge in favor of one driver much more than the other. If they are in the position where they are going to come 1-2 in the championship and win the constructors' title, they yippe, they are quite happy"

He concluded:

"When you have got intra-team rivalry, and you are fighting another team for the title, then it gets really interesting."

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Former F1 team owner believes Max Verstappen could pass Lewis Hamilton and win 10 world titles

Former owner of the old Jordan Grand Prix F1 team, Eddie Jordan, recently shared his thoughts on how quick Max Verstappen really is. Jordan believes that the Dutchman could win 10 world titles if he continues to perform at his current level. Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, he said:

“If everything stays well with Max, and I’m hoping that it will mentally and physically and everything to do with the car, Max is gonna hit 10 World Championships. Because he’s that young and that good. How fast is he? He’s just ridiculous. I think Lewis needs to get on his bike and hurry up and get number eight because it’s soon to be passed up by Max.”

He also stated how Lewis Hamilton needs to bounce back quickly and win his eighth world title before Max Verstappen overtakes him.