Hamilton delivers 'fortune' verdict on Norris-Verstappen title fight

Lewis Hamilton feels Lando Norris will need "fortune" on his side to set an F1 record and overhaul Max Verstappen in this year's title fight.

Norris went into the summer break following the Belgian Grand Prix with a 78-point deficit to Verstappen, but with a comprehensive victory and the additional point for the fastest lap in the last race in the Netherlands, has cut the gap to 70.

With the striking swing in performance between the McLaren and Red Bull cars, there is obvious speculation whether Norris can continue to reel in Verstappen with nine races and three sprints remaining.

Although there are plenty of points available, even Verstappen has suggested that Norris would have to be "perfect" from this point on to deny him a fourth successive drivers' title.

Even so, should Norris achieve the feat, it would eclipse the 46-point gap Verstappen faced to Charles Leclerc in 2022. That is the biggest deficit a driver has overcome to win a title since the introduction of the current points system in 2010.

Assessing Norris' chances, Hamilton said: "There are a lot of points on the table, so I think it's not impossible.

"Ultimately Max probably only needs to finish second in every race to win at this point. He [Norris] would have to win every single race and that still wouldn't be enough, so there'll need to be some fortune in it."

As a former McLaren driver, Hamilton naturally has a soft spot for his old team and would love for the Woking-based outfit to win its first constructors' title since 1998.

McLaren were champions in 2007 but were stripped of the crown by the FIA following an investigation into the 'spygate' saga.

With McLaren just 30 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings, there is a genuine possibility the team could end what would be a 26-year wait to become team champions again.

"What's really exciting, there's a real chance that McLaren could win the constructors' title," said Hamilton.

"I was there when we did win the last constructors’. Obviously, it got taken away from us, but we won it in terms of performance that year.

"I don't think they've won since so that could be really exciting, not only for them but also for the sport. I hope it goes down to the wire because I think that would be great for the fans.

"With the performance they [McLaren] showed last weekend [at Zandvoort] maybe they could."