F1: Ferrari told brutal reality about Lewis | Sports News

Lewis Hamilton’s possibilities of halting Lando Norris’ championship pursuit hinge on Ferrari’s capacity to drag itself collectively.

Their stunning double disqualification in Shanghai final Sunday marked a nadir for the Scuderia’s storied historical past and in addition diminished the luster of Hamilton’s first victory in pink during the day past’s dash race. Ex-McLaren Formula 1 ace Juan Pablo Montoya doubts Ferrari can catch up together with his former crew except they make vital and speedy enhancements.

He told Mirror Sport: “You cannot rely Lewis out of something this 12 months but, however the query is how effectively does Ferrari react?

“You can inform they are not far off however they are not the place McLaren is. They’re like two upgrades away from being good, two steps behind.”

The disqualifications have left Hamilton, 40, and teammate Charles Leclerc languishing in ninth and 10th place respectively in the drivers’ standings, with neither having secured a points total in the double digits. In the battle for the teams’ championship, Ferrari is already trailing leaders and reigning champions McLaren by 61 points after just the first two events of the season.

Apart from Hamilton’s unexpected win in the Shanghai sprint, McLaren has dominated the top of the grid so far. Norris, 25, took the first win in Melbourne, solidifying his position as the favourite for the drivers’ title.

Teammate Oscar Piastri, 23, showcased his skills by beating Norris to the win in China – a victory that seemed certain even before Norris encountered brake issues in the final stages.

This season’s individual honors may well be a direct contest between the two McLaren drivers. Montoya believes Norris is best positioned to win, provided he can keep Piastri at bay in the early rounds and prevent the Australian’s title bid from gaining momentum.

The seven-time F1 race winner from Colombia stated: “The solely probability that Oscar has is to essentially begin out-qualifying Lando. Because if he can out-qualify Lando enough, I feel it can destroy Lando mentally. But if Lando can survive this, for like the following three or 4 races, Lando can beat him. I feel then Lando could have him all 12 months long.”

Red Bull’s hopes of reclaiming its title from McLaren already seem to be dwindling. Max Verstappen continues to score regular points despite struggling with the car, but hasn’t been in contention for wins.

He already has a new teammate after Liam Lawson failed to score a single point. Yuki Tsunoda will make his debut for the team at his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, next Sunday.

The acquisition of Lawson is yet another misstep in the quest to secure a perfect partner for Verstappen, and according to Montoya, the responsibility doesn’t lie with Christian Horner but rather with Helmut Marko, the team’s influential consultant.

He said: “Helmut is the one which decides who drives the car. Christian Horner runs the operational aspect of the crew, the each day. I feel they respect one another enough that they do not step on one another’s toes. I’m sure he has an opinion, however the closing determination most likely comes more from Helmut.”