Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton stated he believes to be "one of the only drivers" who can fight Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Red Bull is currently having arguably one of the most dominant seasons we have ever seen in Formula One. The team has won every single race but one - the Singapore Grand Prix.
The team from Milton Keynes with Max Verstappen has already secured the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship, broke multiple records, and is on the road to break even more.
The situation is hard to swallow for the seven-time World Champion who has not been given a dominant car this season. As quoted by gpblog.com, Lewis Hamilton told media in America:
"I'm praying every day that we will close the gap and we will hit the ground running. I want to be fighting for the championship; I want to be fighting Max."
We have seen a fight between Hamilton and Verstappen in the past during the memorable 2021 season. Many fans liked the tight and exciting battles between the pair and would like to see them again. Hamilton added:
"I believe I am one of the only drivers who can do so. But we've got to have the package. Not only the car, but we've got to be operating better in our pit stops."
The 38-year-old Mercedes driver came closest out of all the drivers on the grid to beating Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix when he closed the gap to the Flying Dutchman to almost one second in the last lap of the race.
It was precisely the bad pit stops that might have separated Hamilton from achieving first place. However, it did not matter in the end, as he got disqualified a few hours after the race.
The seven-time World Champion is aware it takes more steps to challenge Red Bull with Verstappen for the Championship: "There's so many areas we need to level up to be able to match the champions."