© Wolfgang Wilhelm for Daimler AG
During the Belgian Grand Prix media sessions both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas played up Max Verstappen’s 2020 title chances.
Verstappen sits second in the 2020 championship standings, with a significant 37 point gap to Hamilton, however Lewis believes the Dutchman is still a serious title contender.
“If you take the first race away, with Max having the DNF, I think if you look at the results, we’d be very, very close in the points,” said Hamilton.
“And obviously, they [Red Bull] have had very strong results and are getting closer in races. Maybe in qualifying, we do have the edge, but as I say, when it comes to the race, we’re generally a lot closer.
“We’re not even halfway through the season and so I absolutely keep my eye on them. I think they still are a title runner and so we need to stay on our toes.”
“I’m grateful for the fact we have so many races being set up because I want it to be a Championship.”
Hamilton is referring to the announcement of the final four 2020 races, which means the season will contain a total of 17 races.
“I want it to be a fight. If you look at the success and progress Red Bull have made over the years they usually get stronger through the season, so hopefully it will become a closer fight as we get through.
“This is the most intense season we’ll ever experience with so many races in such a short space of time and it will be a real challenge.
“I’m really conscious of all the guys [in the team] that are just on the road for as long as they are – they get here before us.
“As a driver, just being able to deliver weekend in, weekend out is physically more demanding this year, being that we normally have a decent recovery period whereas (this year) it’s ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’.
“And then how we utilise our equipment this year, I think that will be a massive challenge,” concluded Hamilton.
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Although Valtteri Bottas lost his second place in the championship standings to Max Verstappen, the Finn believes he still has a shot at winning the title.
“Temperatures look pretty cool, which may be be good for us,” said Bottas.
“I have no doubt that Red Bull will be there in terms of speed in the race. They are pretty good with the tyres, no matter what temperature. I am sure they are going to be a threat.
“If I want to fight for the championship, it means I need to gain points against Lewis, and even Max [Verstappen] is ahead of me in the championship, so I need to beat him,” concluded the Finn.
