Lewis Hamilton says Max Ve🐻rstappen is “kind of” driving on his own at Red Bull during the 2020 Formula 1 season amid Alex Albon’s str✨uggles.

While Mercedes has enjoyed a ♑dominant start to the 2020 season, Verstappen has been the only driver to inflict a defeat on the German manuf🎉acturer this year at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.

In Belgium, Verstappen recorded his sixth co🤪nsecutive podium as he maintained s💯econd place in the championship ahead of Valtteri Bottas, and 47 points down on leader Hamilton.

Verstappen’s teammate Alex Albon sits fourth in the standings, 62 points behind the Dutchman, and has finished no higher than fourth so far this season. He also has a tendency to start races a few places behind Verstappen after bei🍸ng comfortably outqualified by the no.33 Red Bull.

And Hamilton believes Red Bull are not operating at their full🧔 potential because only one of its driver꧃s is consistently challenging the Mercedes duo.

“What you’ve got to look 💮at with the Red Bulls is, I think they’ve got a very 🤡good car,” Hamilton said.

“I tওhink people downplay it, but they’ve got a very, very🍨 strong car, and Max is doing a great job with it.

“Unfortunately, both drivers aren’t there like me and Valtteri [Bottas] are🐟 there and that makes it harder for them.

“I experienc🥂ed it many years ago when I was at McLaren and I was the driver that was always at the front and didn’t have a teammate backing up,” he added.

“So equ𒈔ally, you don’t get the constructors’ points, but then you can’t play strategy on the cars that you’re racing against. So [Red Bull] have got that – [Max is] kind of there on his own.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has repeatedly defended Albon’s performance since he join🍸ed the team at last y🌼ear’s Belgian Grand Prix, having replaced the struggling Pierre Gasly.

“Everybody’s obviously got an opinion on th🍸is topic but they 🐬don’t have really the facts,” Horner explained.

“Alex is doing a good job in what’s been a difficult car this year. It’s a different ca💟r to last year, I’d say the car’s harder to drive than 12 months ago.

“When he got in the car 12 months ago he did a much stronger job than Pierre had done up to that point in the year. I think Alex has got a lot of talent t🉐ha♌t obviously we haven’t seen come to the surface yet.

“His racing has been very stro𝕴ng on a Sunday but he’s struggle🔯d with the car over a single lap. And, of course, Max has been so strong at getting the most out of the car.

“You think back to some of the great drivers, whether it’s a [Michael] Schumacher or an [Ayrton] Senna, and being a driver alongside those guys wa🐲s very tough. I think that’s a similar situation that the seat alongside Max has at the moment.

“Alex is only going to get better. He’s still pretty young and inexperienced. This is🍌 only his second season of F1 racing and we’re doing all that we can to support him and develop him.”