Mercedes urged to learn from Max Verstappen comeback as Lewis Hamilton threatens

1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has urged Mercedes to learn from McLaren's mistake last year, which opened the door to a remarkable Max Verstappen comeback.

McLaren dominated much of the 2025 season, allowing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to battle one another before Verstappen suddenly mounted a staggering title charge.

The Dutchman's late, but ultimately unsuccessful, charge was aided by Norris and Piastri fighting each other, with McLaren at times losing control of race situations.

This season, Mercedes faces a similar challenge after dominating the opening rounds. Lewis Hamilton has finished second, second and first in the last three races to move into second in the standings.

He finds himself 41 points adrift of Kimi Antonelli and nine ahead of George Russell, with Hamilton's victory in Barcelona having been helped by the Mercedes duo battling each other.

In Hill's eyes, Mercedes needs to get a hold of its drivers and ensure Hamilton is not allowed back into the title fight, describing him as "the Max Verstappen of last year".

"So, right now, they'll be having meetings at Mercedes, saying, 'Guys, we don't want to be in the situation McLaren were in last year with Max,'" Hill said on the Stay on Track podcast.

"You've got two guys going for the title. They get obsessed with that, absorbed in their own private ambitions, which, to be fair, as a driver, I think they've got every right to have.

"But while you're doing that, another guy could slip in between you. So Lewis is now the Max Verstappen of last year for Mercedes, isn't he? 

"He can basically put pressure on them because of the points. He could be putting pressure on George, mounting a challenge."