Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen warned over 'dangerous' challenger - 'Bit of a magician'

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been warned about a "dangerous" challenger who could be in line to mount a surprise title bid over the course of the coming year. The 2022 season begins in March, and so far there have been no indications as to which teams might be in the hunt for silverware once the racing action gets under way.

No-one could come close to the title-chasing pair in 2021, as they were a long way ahead of the rest of the field in terms of both points and pace over the course of the year.

Even their team-mates Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were a long way behind, though they were third and fourth in the drivers' standings above each driver from every other team.

That's because no other constructor was able to field a car as competitive as the Mercedes and Red Bull machines - something which could change with the new rules for this year.

New technical specifications are coming into force, giving teams a chance to out-engineer their rivals over the winter.

If a team which has been running in the midfield over the past few years can innovate in a way none of their rivals think of, they might find themselves in a position to compete at the front.

Every team from lower down the order will hope to achieve that, though they will not truly know the fruits of their labour until testing begins in Barcelona towards the end of February.

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Until that time, Mercedes, Red Bull and their drivers will be sweating over the prospect of potentially being reeled in by other teams and being forced to fight on several fronts in 2022.

Potential technological advancements for teams also present those drivers who have shown the talent to win, but not necessarily in