Hamilton Hopes Verstappen Vs Norris Battle 'Goes Down To Wire'

Thursday, 29 August 2024 at 20:00

Lewis Hamilton answered whether he believes Lando Norris can still catch up with Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship title fight.

As it stands ahead of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen leads the drivers' championship by 70 points ahead of Lando Norris from McLaren in second place.

Verstappen is super close to securing the title, and at this point, it is clear that Norris is the only driver on the grid who still has a chance to snatch it from the Dutchman.

But how real is it? Speaking to the media at Monza Circuit, Lewis Hamilton shared his thoughts about the drivers' championship battle and whether he believes the McLaren driver can still realistically catch up.

"There's a lot of points on the table, so I think it's definitely not impossible."

"I think, ultimately, Max probably only needs to finish second in every race to win at this point. And he [Norris] would have to win every single race, and still, that wouldn't be enough. There'll need to be some fortune in it."

We asked F1 fans on our Racing Infinity Facebook page before the previous race (the Dutch Grand Prix) whether they thought the triple world champion from Red Bull had the title already in his pocket. Many believed it was too late for anyone to try to overturn his lead.

Lando Norris, in a McLaren car, overtaking and driving side by side with Max Verstappen in a Red Bull car at the first corner of Circuit Zandvoort.

Lando Norris overtaking Max Verstappen during the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix

However, after Lando Norris beat Verstappen by more than 22 seconds at his home race in the Netherlands, it suddenly seemed more possible that this Championship fight could go down to the last race. Lewis Hamilton hopes it will.

"I hope that it goes down to the wire because that will be great for the fans. With the performance they [McLaren] showed last weekend, maybe they could."

There are nine Grand Prix weekends left (including the Italian Grand Prix) at the moment. Do you believe Norris can catch Verstappen in the drivers' championship?