Lewis Hamilton firmly believes that Lando Norris has the potential to challenge Max Verstappen for the title. Hamilton, who has previously made comebacks from significant point deficits, acknowledges that his compatriot faces a formidable challenge. According to Hamilton, Red Bull remains a “highly” “performing” team.
Norris currently trails Verstappen by 78 points in the drivers’ championship. Despite this substantial gap, Norris is already being touted as a potential challenger to Verstappen for the world title. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also believes that his fellow countryman stands a slim chance.
Hamilton Discusses McLaren’s Chances in the Championship
“It’s not impossible, but it’s a very difficult challenge and a huge task,” Hamilton said. “But it’s absolutely not impossible.” The Brit believes that McLaren has a significant advantage over Red Bull in one particular area. “They have two very strong drivers who are currently competing in the championship. They also have one car that is really competing at the top in the points tally. So they definitely have something to work with.”
Hamilton himself has fought hard for the title several times in his Formula 1 career. In 2016, he went neck-and-neck with teammate Nico Rosberg, while he narrowly lost to Max Verstappen in 2021. “There was also a moment when I was here with a deficit of about forty points,” Hamilton said during the race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Hamilton Warns Norris
However, Hamilton believes that Norris faces a huge challenge. “Seventy is a big number when you’re up against a car that’s probably very close to a hundred percent record,” Hamilton refers to the RB20. “They may have fallen back a bit in one of the races when Max’s engine failed, in Australia. But otherwise, they are a very high-performing team.”
