On the eve of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has issued a clear warning to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are currently battling Max Verstappen for the world championship. The Ferrari driver has urged the two young McLaren stars to adopt a more aggressive approach in their title fight, stressing that the Dutchman “will beat them if they don’t become ruthless.”
The seven-time world champion has reignited his own championship hopes after a run of dominant performances — three victories in the last four races, plus a Sprint win in Austin. With five rounds remaining, Max Verstappen sits just 40 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri and 54 behind Lando Norris, keeping his chances of a fifth consecutive title with Red Bull very much alive.
Speaking to F1 TV, Lewis Hamilton shared his insight from years of high-pressure title battles, recalling his own intense 2021 fight with Max Verstappen. “They have to be ruthless,” he said. “That’s what Max is. He’ll take it away from them if they don’t do the same.”
Hamilton: “Verstappen is ruthless, Piastri and Norris must be the same”
“They need to push and dig deep to keep up with someone like Max and the car he has right now. But also between themselves — if one of them wants to win, consistency is the key. And that’s what you’ve seen from Max in the last few races.”
Hamilton then defended both McLaren drivers from criticism, encouraging them to stay focused on their own performance and block out outside pressure. “When you’re in a team and the pressure is high, it’s tough. That’s when you need to put on blinders and shut out everything coming from the outside — whether it’s positive or negative.”
After finishing fourth at the United States Grand Prix — his best Sunday result in several races — Hamilton is looking to continue Ferrari’s progress in Mexico. Although he has yet to claim a podium in his debut season with the Scuderia, the British driver remains optimistic.
“We’re still trying to extract more performance from this car,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “In the last race we made some good progress, but I think there’s still a bit more to find. Every track is different and you never know how strong the others will be, but Ferrari was very competitive here last year.”
Lewis Hamilton also revealed that he intends to take inspiration from Carlos Sainz’s victory at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, while acknowledging that the 2025 car is entirely new. “I hope I can analyze what the team had here last year and apply that to this weekend. I think the car will be very different from what I drove here in the past, but I’m feeling optimistic.”
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