"Very likely he's just going to breeze by": Lewis Hamilton not too optimistic about his chances in the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is unsure of his chances of holding back a charging Max Verstappen. The Briton took his 104th pole position in the sport at the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP and will start ahead of Verstappen in the main race.

Hamilton took a record-breaking ninth pole position in Hungary after Verstappen was unable to improve on his final Q3 lap. The Dutchman claimed to be struggling all weekend long with the balance of his RB19 and wasn't his usual dominant self.

Despite his starting position in Hungary, Hamilton believes that it will be extremely difficult to keep Max Verstappen at bay during the main race. Speaking about his chances, Lewis Hamilton told the media ahead of the race:

"The Red Bull is half a second faster per lap than us on the race pace. So it's very, very likely he's just going to breeze by and disappear like he [Max] has in all the races."

If Verstappen is able to breeze past his 2021 championship rival, he will take his seventh consecutive victory in 2023, giving Red Bull its 12th straight win. It will be interesting to see what happens in Hungary later today.

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Lewis Hamilton fears that Red Bull's domination might last for 3 years

Hamilton fears that Red Bull and Max Verstappen's dominance in the sport might last for another three years, making it difficult for other teams to compete. The Austrian team has been the clear class of the field this year, having won every race so far.

Lewis Hamilton claimed he has nothing against Max Verstappen or the Austrian team but hopes the sport continues to have a conversation about dominance. The Briton knows a thing or two about dominance himself, having been at the height of the sport with Mercedes from 2014-2021, a period when he won six titles.

Lewis Hamilton told Channel 4:

"There is a chance that Red Bull, with the cost cap and the way it’s set up now, they’re so far ahead that they could dominate for the next three years. And maybe for the Verstappen fans that’s enjoyable, and of course for Max it is, but I’m just saying for our sport we definitely need to have the conversation of how we can try and make it better."

It will be interesting to watch the two mammoths of F1 go head-to-head once again in 2023.