McLaren must be set for ‘merciless’ Max Verstappen – Hamilton Cautions

Seven-time champion Hamilton has warned the McLaren drivers in the title fight, Piastri and Lando Norris, about Max Verstappen’s “cut-throat” approach as the trio enter the final five races of the season.

The Australian driver is ahead in the title race by 14 points clear from his teammate Norris, while Verstappen is positioned 40 points adrift from the top after three wins and a second place in recent events.

The Mercedes veteran, who engaged in an intense and bitter championship battle with Verstappen in 2021, said: “In that scenario it’s tough, the tension mounts. This is when you have to focus entirely and shut out everything from outside noise.

“You have to be ruthless and this describes Max behaves, he will take this away from them if they fail to do the same.

“You have to dig deep to hold off a driver like Verstappen and his competitive machine. But also for Piastri or Norris to come out ahead, consistency is key, and you've seen that from Max in the last few races.”

The experienced champion explained that Verstappen had the easiest job as the racer coming from behind. He found himself trailing by 104 points from the lead following the Dutch Grand Prix last month.

“You have three exceptionally gifted drivers and I’m unsure how they will perform,” added Hamilton.

“Max has won it four times so he is aware of the experience and playing the chaser is far simpler than defending a position.

“If you are leading and a rival is closing in, that affects you mentally instead of as the pursuer and there’s no pressure. In the lead you have everything to lose.”

George Russell, who won Singapore in the previous rounds, commented: “The McLaren drivers have the fastest car so they control their destiny. However, Verstappen and Red Bull are doing excellent work so they cannot be ruled out.

“There were indications of strong speed at the start of the year but it was pretty inconsistent, whereas now consistently they are smashing it.”

Equal Opportunity at the McLaren Team

Piastri and Norris approach the season’s end with no team orders between themselves and absent of internal mandates in place – except for not to crash between them.

Norris was previously under unspecified consequences post-incident with his teammate when securing the final podium spot from his teammate on the opening lap in the Singapore GP.

Post-collision involving both drivers during the sprint race start at Austin in the previous round, restrictions are now gone.

“There is a degree of responsibility for my actions during the sprint race and we begin this round with a fresh start for each driver, just going out and going racing,” commented the Australian.

The Australian, who won the Dutch GP, has witnessed his lead erode after being beaten by Norris in each of the past four races, but he noted he was also taken aback Max had joined the fight so quickly.

“The run of form Verstappen has shown since Monza has been a bit of a surprise,” said Piastri.

“There were moments in the early stages but additionally some pretty big dips. Everyone is aware they have been throwing many updates to their machine seeking gains but Max has joined to the fight quicker than I expected.”

Yet, upon being questioned if he had concerns over Verstappen’s form, he replied: “This isn’t a focus for me. He has been consistent and strong lately but it offers no advantage in focusing on or focusing on that.

“The thing that's going to help me win the championship is optimize performance from my driving, my machine, the squad. He's there, he’s a contender but finally it has no effect on how I go about my racing.”

Norris added: “Max has had excellent results the last month or so. They have been performing a higher level than McLaren.

“Verstappen has secured a good amount of races and he’s a top driver. One would be foolish to not want to give Max a chance.

“Right now, Red Bull is performing stronger, a lot of races they have been quicker. However, opportunities remain. Our car is superior in the final rounds and we need to make use of that.”

Verstappen said: “Certainly we’ve been on a strong streak, definitely been enjoying the recent success as such and we aim to continue this streak forward. We are aware we need to be perfect to the end to stand a chance, but we just try to maximise everything and observe the final outcome.”

Red Bull Grid Antics ‘Entertaining’

Red Bull were fined a fine after the US Grand Prix, after a team personnel was on the grid after it was supposed to be cleared while trying to clear the adhesive McLaren had put along the pit lane to help Norris position his car accurately.

Norris remarked he found the situation “quite funny, particularly since I never used the guide, making it even funnier”.

Norris continued: “It was there as a precaution. I didn't need to use it during the US GP. We already knew about their actions. {They tried to take tape off