'We Need' Ferrari To Beat Verstappen And Red Bull 'In Straight Race' Says Hill

Wednesday, 03 April 2024 at 00:15

The 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill, suggested we need Ferrari to beat Red Bull with Max Verstappen in a straight race and that we are getting close to it.

Red Bull suffered two unlucky issues during the most recent race in Australia, and Scuderia Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, was there to profit from it straight away.

The two drivers achieved a one-two and also put in the fastest lap of the race, which meant that the team from Maranello brought home maximum points from the third round of the season.

However, the big question that has been up in the air ever since the race in Melbourne is whether Ferrari would have achieved the same result if Max Verstappen hadn't had to retire his car. Damon Hill told the F1 Nation podcast:

"But you have to say, the question is always going to be asked, did they win in Melbourne because Max broke down? We'll never know the answer – so we need to get them to beat Max in a straight race."

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"Once that happens, and I think they're getting close – I think we're getting close to that."

The former F1 driver even put Sainz ahead of the triple World Champion in his predictions for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.

However, he is aware that the Dutchman remains the favorite going into the race and admits that it might be a bit of "wishful thinking" on his part. Nevertheless, Hill explained his statement:

"And that may be wishful thinking on my part, not because I don't want Max to win anything, I just want to see some racing, and I want to see a championship open up."

"But if they do, wow, that would be really shocking for the whole of Formula 1, because it means that something can be done about this Red Bull runaway."