Lewis Hamilton told F1 title loss would be ‘good little reset’

Hamilton has won six of the last seven drivers’ championships but trails Max Verstappen this year

Lewis Hamilton has been told that losing this season’s Formula 1 title race might actually be beneficial ahead of the next campaign.

The seven-time champion has won six of the last seven drivers’ championships, including last year’s, but he trails Max Verstappen by 19 points with just four races left this season.

At 36, Hamilton may not have many more chances to win an eighth title and go clear of joint-record holder Michael Schumacher. Nevertheless, former F1 driver David Coulthard has said that coming up short this season would not be catastrophic for his fellow Briton – or for the sport.

“I think Max winning the championship would be better for the sport,” the Scot told talkSPORT. “It would be a good little reset for Lewis as well to keep his motivation.

“He always says the eighth title doesn’t change anything for him and it certainly wouldn’t make his legacy any better.

“The business of sport is about trying to capture new audiences and trying to bring those eyeballs to the track. I think Max will do that.”

Coulthard, who won 13 F1 races across spells at Williams and Mercedes before joining Red Bull, continued: “Both of them deserve it, so this isn’t a question of just one deserving it more or does one have a better car.

“They are both exceptional athletes at the top of their game, two different parts of their careers.

“I think this is going to the wire. This is going to ebb and flow. There’s a feeling Lewis really needs to deliver this weekend [at the Brazilian Grand Prix]. It’s a circuit Max has been exceptional at, and Red Bull have done well at in the past.

“The weather can turn that on its head. We’ve also seen Max get taken out while leading the grand prix a few years ago.”