Zak Brown names the driver he thinks could challenge Max Verstappen for the championship

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown admits he wouldn’t be surprised if Lewis Hamilton was once again challenging Max Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship this year.

Lewis Hamilton has now endured two years without a win in Formula 1 and will be desperate to end that run in 2024.

Speaking to Speedcafe, Zak Brown suggested that he thinks the grid will close up even further this season and that could mean a potential return to the top for the seven-time world champion.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has already said that he thinks they’ve reached the point of ‘diminishing returns’ when it comes to the development of their car.

While they will almost certainly come to pre-season testing next month with an even faster car, there is an opportunity for their rivals to catch up.

Brown believes that Mercedes and Ferrari are two outfits that could close that gap and that means Lewis Hamilton might be up alongside Max Verstappen this year.

It would be a surprise if Mercedes suddenly went from an inconsistent second-best to a title challenger.

But as McLaren themselves proved last year, big strides are possible in a short period of time.

Brown thinks Hamilton could challenge Verstappen for title

Speaking ahead of next season, Brown said: “At the same time, Mercedes, Ferrari, these teams have everything they need and they’re great teams.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we were sitting here and all of a sudden Mercedes was back to Lewis [Hamilton] winning his eighth championship.

“So it’s very tough and competitive now.”

Mercedes have got their development plan wrong for the last two years and will know how important this winter is.

Their new car will likely be much more similar to Red Bull’s going into 2024 and that should close the gap between Formula 1’s two current strongest teams.

Zak Brown will hope his two drivers can match both Hamilton and Verstappen this year after their impressive surge up the grid in 2023.

Lando Norris is due a first Formula 1 win, while Oscar Piastri showcased his talents during his rookie campaign.

The battle behind the Red Bulls last year was extremely exciting, but it’s now up to the top teams to drag them into the action going forward.