Damon Hill has highlighted Max Verstappen's ability to bounce back and deliver a "knockout blow" as the F1 title fight nears its 12th round.
The 1996 drivers' champion used a boxing metaphor to underline the looming threat of the Dutchman, who still has an outside chance of taking his fifth crown in a row.
Heading into the final three rounds of the campaign, Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri by 24 points in the standings.
However, the McLaren team-mates are not alone. Verstappen is 49 points behind the Briton with 83 still available across Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
So, although it is now a long shot for the Red Bull driver, Hill insists he cannot be ruled out, given his track record of landing the decisive punch when he has looked down for the count.
"Nobody's counting him out because they've seen what he's done before," the former Braham, Williams, Arrows and Jordan driver told British newspaper The Mirror.
"Just when you think he's on the floor and the count's gone to nine, he jumps up and delivers the knockout blow."
Hill maintains that whilst there is a mathematical possibility of retaining his championship crown, Verstappen will not rest.
Having looked as good as out of contention over the summer break, he has propelled himself back into the picture with seven podiums, including three victories, since F1 returned for the second leg of the season.
As such, the 22-time grand prix winner believes that Verstappen will have a part to play over the final triple header of the year as Norris and Piastri look to deliver McLaren a first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Hill added of the 28-year-old: "He will not give up while there's a sliver of a chance, and he'll be a factor in races to come."
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