New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Lewis Hamilton has urged McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to be “cut-throat” if they are to beat Max Verstappen to the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, warning that the Red Bull star will “take this from them” if they don’t match his ruthlessness.

With five races remaining, the title race has become a close three-way contest — Verstappen’s recent surge of three wins in four races has closed the gap to within 40 points of the leader, while Norris is just 14 points behind team-mate Piastri ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, was asked what advice he would give to the McLaren pair as they compete not only with each other but also against a resurgent four-time world champion. The seven-time title winner reflected on his own experience from the intense 2021 duel with Verstappen.

“I mean obviously they have won other championships in other categories. I’m not one to really want to give advice to them but, in that scenario, it’s challenging when you’re in the team. The pressure is high,” Hamilton said on Friday. “It’s definitely a time where you really have to put your blinkers up, you have to block absolutely everything from the outside, all this because there’s so much coming in, positive and negative.”

The 40-year-old stressed that the mental and competitive edge would decide who prevails in the closing stages. “Also you really have to be cut-throat,” Hamilton warned. “That’s what Max is, he’s going to take this from them if they don’t do the same. They’ve got to be pushing and you have got to dig deep to, firstly, be able to hold off someone like Max and in the car that he’s in at the moment. But, also, for either of them to come out ahead you know consistency is key and you’ve seen that from Max in the last few races.”

Hamilton, who endured and enjoyed his share of championship dogfights over nearly two decades in Formula 1, said the expanded battle is a healthy sign for the sport. “I think it’s great,” he said. “Having a team [McLaren] that was just out front, obviously they won the constructors’ and then having the championship battle within the two [drivers] is still exciting. But adding another team and another driver into the mix really makes it even more exciting, and that’s really what this sport should be like.

“It was great for me having battles with Max, another team, and the battle development through the year and consistency. I think that’s what people tune in to see.”

Both Norris and Verstappen have outperformed points leader Piastri in the last four races, increasing the pressure on the Australian, who has held the championship lead since April’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Hamilton believes Piastri now faces a more challenging psychological battle as the one being chased.

“It’s great to see that we have got this massive battle going on now and, I’m just like you, I don’t know what really to expect,” he said. “You have got three incredibly-talented drivers. I can’t predict how they’re all going to behave but, of course, Max has won it four times, so he knows what it’s like and being the hunter is much easier than being the defender.

“When you’re in the lead and someone’s chopping away at your lead that plays on you more than if you’re chasing. If you’re chasing you have nothing to lose, as opposed to when you’re in the lead you have everything to lose.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they handle it. We’ll all witness that and whatever the case, it’s going to be exciting.”

–IANS

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