Hamilton And Alonso Dismissed In Discussion About Verstappen's Potential Challengers

Saturday, 20 January 2024 at 17:00

Eddie Jordan dismissed experienced World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in a discussion about potential Max Verstappen challengers in 2024.

Max Verstappen with Red Bull seems to be a combination that will be very challenging to beat in the battle for the Championship in a few upcoming seasons.

The Dutchman won the last three consecutive Drivers' Championships and led his team to two Constructors' Championships in 2022 and 2023.

The triple World Champion is already considered one of the best drivers in F1 history, and he is only 26. Last season, he proved he is untouchable with a dominant car, and going into 2024, it remains a question whether any of the remaining nine teams can do anything about it.

However, Bernie Ecclestone said he believes the Dutchman would win with any of the top five teams regardless of the machinery.

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So then, even if some of the top teams managed to match Red Bull, do they have a good enough driver pairing? According to Eddie Jordan, only one driver is pairing on the grid today, which could challenge the 26-year-old. He told F1-Insider:

"If I had a top team now and didn't get Max, there would only be one driver pairing that would be able to take on the fight with Verstappen: Charles Leclerc and, as a teammate, Lando Norris."

The two young drivers haven't won a Championship yet (Norris hasn't even won a Grand Prix), but they both showed great potential and are considered "championship material."

On the other hand, two drivers on the grid have already proven they can win multiple Championships: Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

However, Jordan would prefer young talent over the two at this point, relatively old and experienced drivers if it came to choosing his own team. He added:

"I simply no longer trust Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, well-deserved champions, to be able to keep up with Verstappen because of their advanced age."