Lewis Hamilton claims that although Max Verstappen is pessimistic about his chances of winning the World Championship, he is still “pretty far ahead” in the standings.
Last time out at Monza, Verstappen finished in sixth place alongside Sergio Perez in P8, giving Red Bull their lowest two-car points total of the championship.
Commenting on Max Verstappen’s “unrealistic” concerns, Lewis Hamilton
This, along with McLaren’s two podium finishes, caused a significant points swing in McLaren’s favor, enabling him to cut Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship to just eight points.
Lando Norris also cut into Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship, removing eight points from him to leave the World Champion with 62 points remaining in the race.
After the race, a dejected Verstappen told the media, notably PlanetF1.com, “At the moment, both championships are unrealistic.”
In the lead-up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he reiterated this idea, saying, “If we perform like Monza, it’s not realistic.”
Therefore, we must unquestionably improve upon what we have been producing lately. He added, “We are aware of that.
We will truly be more competitive if we can improve the car’s balance. But I’m not sure if being more competitive is sufficient.
When questioned about Verstappen’s ludicrous assertion, the Dutchman’s opponent for the 2021 championship, Hamilton, stated: “He said it’s unrealistic for him to capture one of the two titles?
“Well, that’s obviously his opinion and how he’s feeling at the time, but he’s actually quite far ahead.”
However, one could contend that Verstappen’s lack of confidence is understandable given his 19 victories from the previous season and his meager seven thus far this year.
He hasn’t won a race since 2020, while Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari have taken home the last six P1s.
Hamilton is gushing about it, exclaiming, “It’s incredible.” This is the proper arrangement. Although it never works out, I believe that’s probably the ultimate intention when they establish the regulations.
It’s fantastic that McLaren has now reached that stage of development; you can see that by looking at the Ferrari victory in the most recent race and our own before that.
“Hopefully, over the course of the next eight races, you’ll see more of that and it stays consistent.”