Despite recent criticism of Lewis Hamilton’s performance, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes he will never lose his Formula One racing talent.

Verstappen emphasized motivation as a critical aspect, stating that Hamilton has battled to remain motivated owing to the unpredictable nature of Mercedes’ W15 F1 chassis. However, he believes the situation will improve if Ferrari supplies him with a competitive chassis next season.

Verstappen undoubtedly interacts well with Hamilton, given his own success in capturing a fourth world title in Las Vegas. This puts him in a good position to comprehend the mindset of a repeated world champion.

The 39-year-old Mercedes driver seemed low during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, even doubting his pace after the sprint qualifying where he secured the seventh position. He revealed after the session:

“I’m just slow, same every weekend.

“Car felt relatively decent, no issues, not really much more to say.”

He added:

“The long run didn’t feel too bad. But when you’re always back where I am, it makes it very hard to be competing for… almost impossible, pretty much, to be competing for wins.

“But that’s the sprint, I’ll do what I can.”

When he was told that he could not be the problem, he replied:

“Who knows, I’m definitely not fast anymore.”

Praising Hamilton, Verstappen acknowledged his achievements and admitted he will be motivated next year by his switch to Ferrari after spending 12 seasons with Mercedes, but that would depend on the red car he receives from the Maranello outfit. The Dutchman told PA news agency, as reported by RacingNews365:

“I don’t think he will ever lose it.

“He has achieved so much.

“It is a new challenge for him next year. He will be very, very motivated to show he is a seven-time world champion. But it will depend on the material he has got.”

Verstappen also opened up on Hamilton’s struggles with Mercedes this season, considering his emotional attachment to the team and his exit at the end of the 2024 season.

Supporting his earlier statement, Verstappen revealed that Hamilton quickly showcased his abilities when the W15 was competitive but seemed to lose interest when the car fell short of expectations. He added:

“It has been tough for him (Hamilton) to get motivated fully this year because he knows he is leaving the team.

“I felt like as soon as he had that competitive car, and there was a chance of winning, you could see that he really stepped up.

“Then there were some races where the car was difficult and he was like ‘whatever’.”