Lewis Hamilton has expressed his 'fear' that Max Verstappen and Red Bull could continue to dominate the sport until the next rules overhaul in 2026.

Though there were no such expressions of concern during Mercedes 8-year reign, the seven-time world champion has now joined his teammate in expressing his fear that continued domination by Red Bull could prove damaging for the sport.

Previously, teammate George Russell has been Mercedes main mouthpiece as Red Bull appears to be cruising towards its third successive drivers' title.

Speaking last month, the youngster expressed fears that Red Bull was yet to show its true pace.

"For sure they're holding back," he told the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "They're almost embarrassed to show their full potential because the faster they seem globally the more the sport is going to try and hold them back somehow.

"Realistically they probably have seventh-tenths advantage over the field," he added. "Max has no reason to be pushing it, nor has Red Bull. They've done a really great job, to be fair to them, can't take anything away. We clearly have to up our game."

Amidst fears that the sport might somehow seek to 'nobble' the world champions, F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali has said that this will not be the case, however Hamilton believes the sport will suffer if the current domination continues for the next couple of seasons.

"It's good that we're trying new things," he said, "I think it's important that we continue to move forward and evolve.

"The technology has evolved," he continued. “It's just unfortunate we still see the same sort of gaps between teams.

"I don't know what the solution is for the future," he admitted, "but I think we're going to have to continue to adapt these regulations moving forwards otherwise it could be the same as it is now for years, until 2026. If we don't do a better job, which we're working on doing."

While Mercedes has effectively cured the porpoising issue that plagued the team last season, its insistence on sticking with the zero-pod philosophy has left it on the back foot this year.

A much-anticipated upgrade was scheduled for this weekend's race at Imola but this will now be held over until Monaco, though the real effectiveness (or not) of it won't become clear until Barcelona at the earliest.

However, looking ahead, Hamilton is hoping that the rules overhaul will see a return to, among other things, lighter cars.

"I like the cars without the bouncing," he admitted. “They're a little bit heavy, I wouldn't say making the cars heavy is a good idea. That's about it."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by meatball, 23/05/2023 16:40

"Redbull nails the formula and Merc poops the bed. Somehow Ham is worried that it's Redbull doing the damage after 7 years of MB doing exactly what RB is doing today??? Dictionary... Irony.... yep. If Ham goes to Maranello, it is nothing to do with RB and everything to with Toto being a crap team boss."

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2. Posted by Hobgoblin, 22/05/2023 8:12

"I don't think anyone forgets a team being dominant, it's just that the dominant team keeps quiet about it. Which is sensible.
RBR where dominant, and everyone else struggled. Christian was quiet.
Mercedes were dominant, and everyone else struggled. Toto was quiet. Christian whinged (a lot).
RBR are now dominant again, and everyone else is struggling again. Christian is quiet..."

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3. Posted by kenji, 21/05/2023 13:31

"@ Chester...Cool post."

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4. Posted by Chester, 21/05/2023 9:38

"Sorry, Lewis, but Verstappen may break some of your records. GOAT talk is very difficult to defend, unless your are Tom Brady. I suffered for eight years watching Mercedes win it all. It is now your time to suffer."

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5. Posted by equator180, 20/05/2023 8:27

"Hamilton is good, maybe somewhat great, the greatest is extremely debateable but for sure we now know he can't and never really could walk on water as many thought he could, no need to cry about it."

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6. Posted by kenji, 20/05/2023 1:52

"This guy's supporters seem to be remarkably silent these days!!! Any credibility is evaporating rapidly day to day...."

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7. Posted by elsiebc, 19/05/2023 14:54

"“They're a little bit heavy, I wouldn't say making the cars heavy is a good idea. That's about it." This from the guy that two months ago knew better about how to design an F1 car than the Mercedes design team."

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8. Posted by Defiant, 19/05/2023 13:59

"I think he’s trying to showcase that he has the skills of a politician. Someone that can twist truths and conveniently forget the facts of the past. Surely he couldn’t possibly be so unaware of the ridiculous irony of this statement.
"

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9. Posted by Greg, 19/05/2023 13:30

"Has he forgotten how Mercedes dominated for several years. Short term memory loss."

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Hamilton ramps up fear of Red Bull domination

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