F1 News
Hamilton backs Norris for title push: 'Not impossible to beat Verstappen'
- Ludo van Denderen
Max Verstappen is not so sure anymore. His championship lead over Lando Norris is 78 points, with 10 Grand Prix weekends left after the summer break. But with Red Bull Racing's current form and the strength of McLaren, the Dutchman is by no means counting himself rich: a fourth world title in 2024 is by no means a foregone conclusion. Lewis Hamilton - winner of the Belgian Grand Prix - agrees.
The British driver, who, despite two wins in the last three races, does not play a significant role in the title race, believes Verstappen's lead could disappear, although it would take a small miracle. "It's been a minute since I was fighting for the championship, but I think there was a time I was here where I was 40 or something points behind; 70 is a big number. And against a car that has very close to 100% record."
"I think they may have dropped down slightly in one of the races. Otherwise, McLaren a very, very highly performing team, so it is not impossible, but it is a very, very huge challenge. Not impossible," Hamilton said, adding that McLaren has two drivers who are close to each other in terms of level and Max Verstappen has to do it virtually on his own.
McLaren creeping closer to Red Bull in constructors' standings
Incidentally, McLaren do not reckon that the drivers' title is up for grabs. However, the British team does believe there is a chance to clinch the constructors' championship. The margin between leader Red Bull and pursuer McLaren is down to 42 points after the Belgian Grand Prix.
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton