Max Verstappen has been 'just ruthless' in the 2022 F1 season, feels former driver

Former driver Jolyon Palmer claims Max Verstappen has been 'ruthless' in the 2022 F1 season. The Dutchman secured his second title with four races to go this year, showing why he's the fastest driver on the track.

Verstappen recently broke Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel's record for the most number of race wins in a single season - 14 to their previous record of 13 - and is now well on his way to winning both of the remaining races. The Dutchman has seemingly won from anywhere on the grid, winning the 2022 F1 Belgian GP in dominant fashion from P14 on the grid. The 25-year-old was more relaxed in 2022 compared to any previous season of the sport, having won his first title last year.

Jolyon Palmer thinks Max Verstappen is ruthless and seems to have no major faults. Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast:

"The biggest difference with last year? He was always fast and he didn't make many mistakes back then. But he's just ruthless now, isn't he? It's hard to analyze the exact change, but it's more Max's mentality. We saw that at the beginning of the year. He started the season and Red Bull turned out not to have the best car. They dropped out twice in the first three races, while Charles Leclerc seemed to have the complete package."

---

Max Verstappen claims future battles with Lewis Hamilton will be interesting

Max Verstappen claims the prospect of battling Lewis Hamilton in the future 'will be interesting'. The seven-time world champion is reportedly set to extend his contract with Mercedes for a few more years in an attempt to win a coveted eighth title in the sport.

Hamilton's current contract expires at the end of 2023, giving him a little over a year in the sport. The Briton, however, has revealed that he wants to stick with Mercedes for a while longer and will be trying his hardest to beat Michael Schumacher's record of seven world championship wins in the sport.

Max Verstappen claims battling Lewis Hamilton once again in the future will be interesting. He said:

"He has to do what he thinks feels right. As long as he wants to keep racing, he has to keep doing that. We've had great battles and I'm sure in the coming years all the teams will be a little closer together. So it will be interesting to see who will compete at the top."

The two drivers haven't battled as fiercely on track as they did in 2021. However, with the setting for the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP being one that could potentially suit Mercedes, Hamilton is likely to make life as hard as he can for Verstappen at Interlagos.