"With the same car you can beat Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen" - Carlos Sainz on importance of competitive F1 package

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton could be beaten if the cars are similar and equal, according to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard believes parity in the competition depends on a competitive F1 package.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Ferrari driver revealed the key to beating his former team-mate Verstappen. He said:

“With the same car, you can, yes, or with more equal conditions. The problem is that this year Mercedes and Red Bull were between eight tenths and one second per lap faster, and between drivers, I want to think that there are no more than two or three tenths.”

According to the former Toro Rosso driver, Verstappen and Hamilton could be beaten if other drivers had equally competitive cars and packages. In the hybrid era, Mercedes has dominated throughout the eight seasons. This dominance has made it difficult for rivals and other drivers to get close to defeating them due to lesser competitive cars.

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Carlos Sainz believes Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s competitive tools make them unbeatable

Explaining the difference between Red Bull F1 and Mercedes’ packages compared to other teams, Carlos Sainz feels talent alone is not enough to beat the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Describing the disparity in performance due to lesser competitive tools, the Ferrari driver said:

“If there is a driver who drives a car eight tenths faster, no matter how good you are, you will not be able to beat them. I hope that Formula 1 next year is more even, we can all have more fun and compete equally.”

Despite Mercedes’ dominance in the turbo V6 hybrid era of the sport, Max Verstappen remains the only non-Mercedes driver to claim a championship in eight years. Although Ferrari came close to contesting them in 2017 and 2018, their package could not help their drivers deliver against Mercedes.

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