Hill names two drivers who can stop Red Bull runaway train

Damon Hill believes two drivers are capable of winning this season in F1 and preventing Red Bull from completing its campaign with a 100% win record.

At Silverstone last time out, Max Verstappen delivered to Red Bull its tenth win of 2023, the Dutchman also achieving at the British Grand Prix his eighth victory of the season.

Although the two-time world champion will head into next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix as the overwhelming favourite, Hill pinpoints Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as the two challengers who can potentially will rain on Red Bull's party at some point this year and spoil its undefeated record.

"Winning every race in a season is something that nobody has ever achieved," Hill told The Independent. "They [Red Bull] will keep saying no to it, but they would love to do it.

"My experience says that there are two drivers who are going to avoid it: Fernando or Lewis will win again."

Hill admits however that Red Bull extending its winning streak all the way to Abu Dhabi is a realistic prospect.

"If they don’t win, Max could take, frankly, all the victories that remain," said the 1996 F1 world champion.

"It would be an incredible achievement for him and Red Bull and it would also add a lot of tension to the last few races of the season."

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In the interim, Verstappen has revealed that Red Bull will bring a few updates in its crates for next weekend's round of racing at the Hungaroring, where the Dutchman triumphed last year.

"We have a couple of upgrades this weekend, hopefully they will do what we expect them to do so we can find extra performance for the upcoming races," commented Verstappen who leads Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 99 points in the Drivers' standings.

"Let’s see where we stand on a track where you run high downforce with relatively low speed corners, it’s an amazing track to drive and very technical as well.

"Definitely a place I always look forward to coming back to."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.