"Verstappen has to stay calm if he wants to be world champion"

With just a few races to go and a small gap in the championship, the end of the season promises to be exciting. Former F1 driver Marc Surer can well imagine that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will clash again.

The incidents between the two drivers at Silverstone and Monza are much discussed within the sport. Especially Verstappen, who crashed out due to the incident at Silverstone, lost a lot of points. In Monza, both drivers crashed out.

On Speedweek.com 70-year-old Surer is quoted on the current proportions: "You can't say who is the favourite at the moment. Before Silverstone, it looked like Red Bull Racing had the faster car. But meanwhile, Mercedes has overtaken them, it's only a matter of hundredths of a second between these two racing teams."

According to Surer, there remains a chance that the two rivals will collide again until the end of the season. "The crash potential remains. In the past, Hamilton always pulled away. Now he knows he loses if he pulls out."

Surer continued: "The psychological aspect speaks for Verstappen as world champion because the Dutchman knows that without two crashes he would actually be clearly in front. On the other hand, I think it's easier for Hamilton because the Brit has been world champion so many times. Verstappen has to stay calm if he wants to be world champion. Hamilton is calm, that's what makes him a champion."