Max Verstappen Hopes for Lewis Hamilton’s Help in F1 Title Battle
Can Lewis Hamilton support Max Verstappen in the fight for the Formula 1 championship? Verstappen is optimistic that the presence of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, along with Mercedes, could assist him in closing the gap to McLaren in the title chase.
After the Mexico City Grand Prix, Verstappen trails leader Lando Norris by 36 points and Oscar Piastri by 35, with 116 points remaining across the last four races. Since the Italian GP, Verstappen has gained nearly 70 points on Piastri and halved his deficit to Norris, aiming to prevent McLaren from winning their first drivers' championship since 2008 and to secure his fifth consecutive title.
Recently, both Mercedes and Ferrari have improved their performance, achieving podium finishes ahead of one or both McLaren drivers. Verstappen hopes this trend continues as he pursues the championship, though Hamilton has yet to secure a podium for Ferrari.
Verstappen’s Perspective on Ferrari and Mercedes’ Role
"By being faster than them, that would be nice," Verstappen told media including RacingNews365. "But first of all, we also need to be faster than McLaren to the end of the season to close the gap down. I mean, we had some good rounds where the gap came down, but now, to the end with four races, it's still a pretty big gap, and I need to score a lot more points every single weekend, which is not that straightforward."
Verstappen acknowledges the challenge ahead and emphasizes the need for his own team to improve pace while hoping rivals can disrupt McLaren’s dominance.
Author’s summary: Max Verstappen relies on stronger performances from Ferrari and Mercedes to challenge McLaren’s lead, but emphasizes that his own speed must improve significantly to win the title.