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Lewis Hamilton has warned the McLaren drivers in the title fight, Oscar Piastri and Norris, regarding Max Verstappen’s “uncompromising” approach as the three racers head into the final five races of the season.

The Australian driver currently leads the title race by 14 points clear from his teammate Norris, while Verstappen is positioned 40 points behind from first place on the back of a run of three victories and one second in the past four races.

The Mercedes veteran, who fought a fierce and dramatic title fight with Verstappen in the 2021 season, stated: “In that scenario it’s difficult, the pressure is high. At this point it’s essential to focus entirely and shut out everything from the outside.

“You have to be cut-throat and that is what Max is, he is going to take this away from them if they fail to adopt the same approach.

“It takes deep resolve to fend off Max’s caliber and his competitive machine. But also for the McLaren drivers to come out ahead, reliability matters most, and this has been evident in Max’s performances lately.”

Hamilton noted that Max faced the simplest task as the driver in pursuit. Verstappen had been trailing by 104 points behind Piastri following the event in the Netherlands at the end of August.

“We see three exceptionally gifted competitors and I’m unsure how they will perform,” added Hamilton.

“Max has won it four times over so he understands what it takes and playing the chaser is far simpler than defending a position.

“As the frontrunner and a rival is closing in, that affects you mentally more than when you are behind and there’s no pressure. When leading you have everything to lose.”

George Russell, the winner of the Singapore Grand Prix two races ago, remarked: “The McLaren guys possess the quickest machine so it's theirs to lose. But Max and Red Bull are delivering a superb effort so they remain a threat.

“They showed signs of great pace early in the season but it was pretty inconsistent, but currently consistently they are smashing it.”

Level Playing Field at the McLaren Team

The McLaren drivers approach the season’s end with no team orders between themselves and absent of internal mandates in place – aside from not to crash between them.

Norris was subject to potential penalties following a clash with Piastri as he overtook for third place away from Piastri during the initial turns in the Singapore GP.

Following the crash involving both drivers during the sprint race start at the US Grand Prix recently, restrictions are now gone.

“I acknowledge my role from my side during the sprint race and we are opening this round with no past issues for the pair, just going out and going racing,” said Piastri.

The McLaren rookie, who won the Dutch GP, has seen his lead erode following defeats to his teammate in the last four events, but he said he was also taken aback Max had come into the equation so quickly.

“The streak Max has displayed after the Italian GP was somewhat unexpected,” Piastri remarked.

“There were flashes previously but there were likewise some pretty big dips. We know they have been throwing many updates at their car aiming to enhance performance but Max has joined the championship battle quicker than I expected.”

However, when asked whether he was worried about Verstappen, Piastri responded: “This isn’t something I think about. He has been steady and competitive lately but there is no benefit in worrying about or thinking about that.

“The thing that's going to help my championship hopes is extract the maximum from my driving, the car, the team. Verstappen is there, he's in the fight but ultimately it has no effect on the way I handle my driving.”

Lando continued: “Max has had strong performances recently. Red Bull has been delivering better than we have.

“Verstappen has secured several events and he’s a top driver. One would be foolish to not consider Max a threat.

“At the minute, they are in better form, in many events they have been quicker. Yet, we can still succeed. Our car is superior from now until the end of the season and we must simply capitalize on that.”

Verstappen stated: “Obviously we’ve been on a strong streak, certainly enjoying this period as such and we will try to continue this streak forward. We know we must perform flawlessly through the final races to have a chance, but we simply aim to optimize every aspect and find our position.”

Team Tactics ‘Amusing’

The Red Bull team were penalized a fine post the American GP, when a team personnel was on the grid when the grid should have been empty as he attempted to clear the adhesive McLaren had put along the pit lane to help Norris place his vehicle accurately.

Norris said he found the situation “very amusing, notably as I never used the markings, so even better”.

He stated: “I had it for assistance. I didn't need to use it during the US GP. We were aware about their actions. {They tried to take tape off