After his poor performance at the Italian GP, Max Verstappen suggested that competing in both World Championships would be “unrealistic” for Red Bull. This was mainly due to the RB20 falling off in performance. Lewis Hamilton, however, was surprised to hear Verstappen make these claims.
“I mean, that’s his opinion,” said Hamilton at the Azerbaijan GP weekend. “That’s obviously what he’s feeling at that moment, but he’s pretty far ahead! I don’t really know what to say about it.”
Verstappen is 62 points ahead of second-placed Lando Norris, his main rival in the championship. For Norris to overtake Verstappen and claim the title, he would need to make up eight points per race. However, since Mercedes and Ferrari are also competing for wins, this task won’t be easy.
Sir Lewis Hamilton was asked about Max Verstappen calling both titles 'unrealistic' :
"He said it's unrealistic for him to get one of the two titles? Wow. I mean, that's his opinion, that's obviously what he's feeling in that moment, but he's pretty far ahead! I don't really… pic.twitter.com/Mc1rrGRfcO
— sim (@sim3744) September 14, 2024
Hamilton acknowledged this and felt that Verstappen had too big of a lead to worry about losing the Drivers’ Championship. All Verstappen needs is a consistent podium streak. Even if Norris wins a few races, not all tracks will suit the MCL38.
Norris was already struggling in Azerbaijan with the dusty, low-grip track, while Verstappen topped FP1 and looked strong.
The Dutchman can extend his lead if the practice trend carries over into the race in Azerbaijan. However, McLaren has its plans to help Norris fight for the championship.
Norris gets prioritized by McLaren.
At the Italian GP, it became evident that Norris and Oscar Piastri fighting for positions would cost the team points and hurt Norris’ chances in the Drivers’ championship. As a result, Team Principal Andrea Stella made it clear that Piastri would support Norris moving forward.
This means Piastri is prepared to sacrifice positions to help his teammate. However, Norris has to be close to Piastri’s pace for this to work. The team is still aiming for the Constructors’ title, so Piastri will only give up his position if Norris is directly behind and matching his pace.
Regardless, the practice runs on Friday suggested that McLaren is the fourth-best car at Baku. Norris said, “I think we have quite a lot to find, honestly, compared to Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.”
