Sky Sports F1’s Damon Hill believes Red Bull are “turning the tables” as the race for the Drivers’ Championship heats up, and he thinks they could even finish third in the Constructors’ Championship.
McLaren currently lead the Constructors’ Championship, while Max Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship by 59 points with seven races remaining.
Red Bull have failed to win the Constructors’ Championship for the first time in 55 races since the 2022 Miami Grand Prix. McLaren are 20 points ahead of Red Bull and currently have a faster car.
Now Lando Norris is chasing Verstappen for the individual title, while Hill must ensure Red Bull “manage their decline” to get them over the line before the end of the season.
“Winning is everything. It’s like the old saying: The first one to lose is the one who came in second,” Hill said. Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“You never want to come in second. When you’re on the edge, it’s just better to win.
“Of course, you can win the championship by consistently scoring points and finishing second, but that just makes the competition that much more intense.
“Red Bull are a comeback. As the championship progresses, gravity seems to be pulling them back down.
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Oscar Piastri wins second Formula 1 race at Azerbaijan Grand Prix with superb defense ahead of Charles Leclerc
“They are literally losing performance because everyone is accelerating their development and looking for performance that Red Bull can’t do.
“They need to be able to withstand the drop off well because they need to finish with just one point at the end of the championship, but the pace at which Ferrari and McLaren are catching them looks like they will be very, very close.
“I think Red Bull will feel they have lost the Constructors’ Championship, given the continued bad luck of the Czech (Sergio Perez).
“I don’t know how we’re going to stack up points against Ferrari and McLaren going forward.”
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Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Damon Hill said he would rather be in Max Verstappen’s position in the battle for the world championship because Lando Norris is trying to hound him.
Despite Red Bull being a “relegated” team, Hill prefers Verstappen’s position over Norris’, saying it is important to simply maintain top spot.
In fact, he believes that if Verstappen can go as fast as possible “without dropping the baby”, he will be able to stop people from taking risks by looking over his shoulder.
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Damon Hill discusses how important Andrea Stella is to McLaren’s success and how he is a calming and motivating influence on Norris and Piastri.
“I think possession is nine-tenths of everything. He’s already got the point, but Max, they’re sitting there watching it get eaten up,” Hill added.
“The question is how fast do mice eat cheese?
“They’re sitting there anxiously, but they’re the ones in the lead. If you look at it as a race, it’s literally taking fractions of a second off a lap before you cross the line.
“It’s better to be where the point is, to find something, turn it around, find a solution to the problem they have, and find some gains.
“They are making the most of the advantages they have.
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It was potentially a huge moment in the championship as Norris edged title rival Verstappen to finish the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in P4 after starting in P15.
“When you’re chasing, you have nothing to lose. That’s the beauty of chasing position, and hunting down the people in front of you is, ‘I’m going to be second anyway, so I can take all the risks.’
“I thought leading a race was like an egg and spoon race. Or, let’s say you’re holding a baby. You can’t drop the baby. Go as fast as you can, but don’t drop the baby.
“When you chase, you’re not catching a baby, you’re just like a wolf chasing the person in front of you.
“When you’re in the lead, that’s the precious thing that everyone is after. You have it, and you can’t let it go.”
Live Singapore GP schedule on Sky Sports F1
Thursday, September 19th
12:00 p.m.: Driver press conference
Friday, September 20th
8:15am: F1 Academy Practice
10am: Singapore GP Practice 1 (Session starts at 10:30am)
11:55am: F1 Academy Qualifying
1:45pm: Singapore GP Practice 2 (Session starts at 2pm)
3:15pm: F1 Show
Saturday, September 21st
8am: F1 Academy Race 1
10:15am: Singapore GP Practice 3 (Session starts at 10:30am)
1pm: Singapore GP Qualifying Preparation
2pm: Singapore GP Qualifying*
4pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday, September 22nd
8:30am: F1 Academy Race 2
11:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Singapore GP Preparation
1pm: Singapore Grand Prix
3pm: Checkered Flag: Singapore GP reaction
4pm: Ted’s Laptop
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s thrilling 2024 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, this time with even more incredible street circuit action under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – no contract, cancel anytime
