Hamilton makes Verstappen admission: 'We need to talk about it'

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Formula 1 is now in Max Verstappen's "period" as the Red Bull driver continues to dominate Grand Prix racing.

The reigning World Champion is currently 99 points clear in the Drivers' standings after 10 rounds of the season, taking eight wins and two seconds as he romps towards a third straight crown.

It comes off the 2022 campaign, which is statistically, the most dominant ever by a single driver as Verstappen took 15 wins and earned 454 points, both records he is on course to smash this term.

Verstappen's 2021 title rival Hamilton has been unable to compete on a regular basis owing to Mercedes' troubles with their car and the dominance of the Red Bull package, with Hamilton admitting that the 'Verstappen era' has begun.

Hamilton's Verstappen admission

"For a long, long time within our sport, there's always large chunks of dominance," Hamilton told the Chequered Flag podcast.

"I had it and I was really, really fortunate to have it with this team, Michael [Schumacher] had it, Sebastian [Vettel] had it and now it's Max's period.

"There's no telling how long that will be or whether we get the car on the right track and can fight them next year or if Ferrari can, or whether it will be us next or Ferrari next or Red Bull next.

"That's why I've been saying just recently, like, even when we were dominant, the best years were when we were fighting, when we had close battles with Red Bull or we had a close battle with Ferrari.

"On some of the other times where the gap was a little bit bigger. That wasn't really the most fulfilling period of time. But it's nothing we can do about it, we just did a better job. And that's where Max is.

"Ultimately, him and his team have just done a better job than everybody else, and you cannot take it away from them.

"But as a sport, we have to work, we have to have a conversation about how we can set it up to be better for the future, so we have tighter races where the pack is closer, and we have close battles between Red Bull and Ferrari and Mercedes Aston Martin that would be epic.

"That's my dream because that's when I grew up racing karts, it was wheel to wheel close battling.

"I don't dream of having a dominant period ever again, in my for myself, like winning multiple championships in a row, but the hope is that you would be in battle at least."