SINGAPORE, 29 Sept. (dpa/EP) –
British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) said Thursday that the presumably “early” title of the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) this season “is not good” or “spectacular” for the sport.
“It’s never good when the season is decided early,” said the seven-time world champion at a press conference from Singapore, where the next Grand Prix on the calendar is held, insisting that for Verstappen it is “great” to win before the end of the season. World, but “it is not spectacular” for Formula 1.
With six tests remaining, the Red Bull driver could win his second World Championship if he wins on the street circuit with the fastest lap and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), his closest rival at 116 points, finishes eighth as the best result and Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) stays off the podium. He could also be a two-time champion if he wins in Singapore without a fast lap and the Monegasque is only ninth and the Mexican fourth.
Thus, Hamilton lamented this situation “for the fans”, comparing it with the end of the last World Cup, when the Dutch and British fought for the title until the last lap of the last Grand Prix. “Definitely, I feel sorry for the fans. For everyone, and even for us, last year, until the last moment, it was intense,” he concluded.