In Hungary, Norris let his teammate win at the last minute, a move Hamilton claims Verstappen would never make due to his competitive nature.
76 points: that’s the current gap separating Lando Norris from Max Verstappen in the championship standings.
The title is likely to be contested between these two drivers, with the Red Bull racer remaining the favourite.
However, with 310 points still up for grabs and given McLaren F1’s recent form, anything is possible in this second half of the season.
Lewis Hamilton, who himself overcame significant deficits against Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and 2018, believes that it’s not impossible for Lando Norris to catch up to Max Verstappen. Not impossible, but very challenging…
“There was a time when I was 40 points behind or something like that…”
“But being 70 points behind is significant when you’re up against a car that probably came very, very close to a record of 100% victories (last year’s Red Bull).”
“It’s not impossible, but it is a monumental challenge, a massive task, but definitely not impossible.”
“They have two very strong drivers (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, editor’s note) who are capable of competing, with a car that is definitely there to score points. So, they have something to work with, that’s for sure.”
Lewis Hamilton also commented on Lando Norris’s sportsmanship in Hungary: the Briton followed team orders and relinquished a potential win mid-race to let Oscar Piastri pass, who had been disadvantaged by the strategy…
It’s an opportunity for a new dig at Max!
“If it had been Max… he wouldn’t have let him pass.”
“But it’s not really up to me, the driver, to decide.”
“If I were in that situation, I would do what my team asks of me, even if it’s difficult, because ultimately, it’s not about you. It’s about the 2,000 people you represent and work with, and the message it sends. Lando made the right decision.”
Thus, McLaren F1 prioritised the team in Hungary, but the question arises: shouldn’t they start to favour Lando Norris at some point? Every point could count in the second half of the season…
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, will not take this responsibility: it falls to team principal Andrea Stella…
“Ultimately, the decision rests with Andrea. We want to get through the first half of the season and see where we stand this weekend.”
“I believe the constructors’ championship, while challenging, is entirely within our reach.”
“The challenge for the drivers is that Max’s bad days are second and third places, making it difficult to claw back as many points as we do for the constructors’ championship. We can do it because Sergio Perez is struggling at the moment, but we also know he’s capable of picking up pace at any time. I think we’ll discuss this during the summer break.”
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Lando’s Team Play: Could He Eclipse Max? Lando’s Team Play: Could He Eclipse Max?
