'Push Hard, Dig Deep To Hold Off...': Lewis Hamilton's Word Of Caution To McLaren Duo

Seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton warned the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of Max Verstappen’s threat to their title chances.

Hamilton counseled the rising McLaren pair to be cut-throat in their quest for the crown or risk the possibility of Red Bull’s four-time reigning champion Verstappen catching up to the top.

The McLaren teammates are separated by 14 points after 19 of 24 rounds, with Red Bull’s Verstappen trailing leader Piastri by 40 points but closing in fast after securing three wins in the last four races.

Ferrari’s Hamilton, who fought a tight battle with Verstappen for the 2021 title ultimately won by the Dutch driver, emphasized the importance of focusing solely on the task at hand to achieve the desired results.

“The pressure is high,” Hamilton said ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

“You really have to put your blinkers up, block absolutely everything from the outside, both positive and negative. You have to be ruthless. That’s what Max is, and he’ll take this from them if they don’t adopt the same approach,” added the Briton, who won his first of seven titles with McLaren in 2008.

“They’ve got to push hard and dig deep to hold off someone like Max, especially given the car he’s driving at the moment. Consistency is crucial, as we’ve seen from Max in recent races.”

Verstappen has won five races this season compared to Piastri’s seven, with Norris also securing five victories.

The four-time world champion experienced a dip in form mid-season and was 104 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August. He has since scored 119 out of a possible 133 points in the last five rounds, including a maximum score in Austin last weekend when he won both the Saturday sprint and the main grand prix from pole position.

Hamilton, 40, has largely been a spectator in the title battle this season, with Ferrari yet to win a race in 2025. The Briton has not yet stood on the podium with the team he joined in January.