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Max Verstappen has defended Ferrari's decision to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton in 2025. The Spaniard's stock has grown tremendously this year as he ended Verstappen's 9-race win streak in Melbourne. Early in the year, Hamilton announced that he was leaving Mercedes and moving to the Italian team.
The decision also made it clear that Ferrari was not renewing Carlos Sainz's contract and replacing him with Lewis Hamilton. The decision has come under the scanner early in the year, as the Spaniard ended up winning the race in Melbourne and also secured a podium in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has struggled this season and has not had the best start to the season. The question about the decision made by Ferrari was put in front of Max Verstappen and the Red Bull driver felt that the Italian team had taken the right call. The Dutch driver felt that when Hamilton is available, a team like Scuderia can spend a bit more to go for him.
As quoted by ad.nl, Verstappen said:
“If Lewis wants to go somewhere else, as a team (Ferrari) you can afford a little bit more to attract a 7-time champion. Someone has to go, and this to me seemed like a no-brainer, seeing as they’ve been working with Charles for so long.. that’s sadly just how it works sometimes.”
He added:
"He (Carlos) is good enough (to find another team) and doesn’t need to worry. He just needs to make the right choice about where he wants to end up, making sure he’s not changing every year.”
Max Verstappen feels gaps to competitors have decreased
Speaking to the media after the free practice session on Friday, Max Verstappen felt that the gaps between Red Bull and the chasing pack had decreased compared to last season. Last season, the driver came to Suzuka on the back of a disappointing race in Singapore and was determined to dominate.
That was precisely what he did, as Red Bull was just in a different league all weekend. This weekend, however, despite the limited running, the driver feels that the gap has been reduced. As quoted by RacingNews365, the driver said:
"The balance wasn't bad and that is always a good way to start. It seems like everyone is a little closer together compared to last year. I think in general over one lap, it seems like people have got closer, but for the long run pace, I have no idea, but I don't expect gaps like there were last year here."
He added:
"We couldn't do anything in the second free practice session, but there are still a few things we have to look at and try out."
Max Verstappen will be hoping to kickstart another race-winning streak in Suzuka as the previous one came to an end in Melbourne.
