Verstappen ready for title fight? "Why not? I think he's bloody good"

Finally a real race

Berger raced from 1984 to 1997 in Formula 1 for teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Benetton. The Austrian drove a total of 210 Grands Prix and won ten of them. This week he is the guest of presenters Damon Hill and Tom Clarkson in the podcast of the official Formula 1 website.

In the podcast, he says he's happy with the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen. "After so many years where only one team dominated and we knew after the first corner that if Lewis is in the lead, probably nothing is going to change. This year we're finally seeing some real racing."

Old times revive

The fierce battle between Hamilton and Verstappen reminds Berger of the days when he drove in Formula 1 himself. "We love seeing such a competitive young guy like Max racing against an experienced guy like Lewis and seeing the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull. I think we're used to that from the past. In my day that was normal, Williams against Ferrari and McLaren and stuff."

Verstappen learns quickly

When Berger is asked if Verstappen can fight for the title this season he is clear. "Why not? I think he's bloody good!" However, he does hold back. "I think he doesn't have the experience of Lewis, and Lewis showed him the way in Bahrain when he sent him off [in Turn 4]. But Max learns very quickly, and the first corner in Imola he just said, 'Lewis, come, try to overtake me - you're going off.' So I think he already has good experience, he's young and what he doesn't have, he learns very quickly. So I think, most likely, there is going to be a strong fight."