Damon Hill makes his predictions over who will win the Drivers’ Championship

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The 2024 F1 season is in full swing and with 10 races left there is still all to play for in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

Max Verstappen started the year as he ended it in 2023 with Red Bull after winning four of the first five opening races, but the developments made by McLaren have enabled Lando Norris to emerge as a threat to his fourth title.

Red Bull has struggled with its car upgrades on the RB20, which have put them on the back foot heading into the second half of the season.

While Verstappen’s advantage remains at 78 points at the halfway mark, his points lead it the equivalent to just three race victories over Norris. Due to the underperforming Sergio Perez, Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship is also under threat.

With that in mind, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill has issued his thoughts on who will win both titles and why he thinks it will be closely fought at the end of the season when speaking on the F1 Nation podcast.

Damon Hill predicts who will win the F1 Drivers’ Championship

The season has thrown up various results so far, with seven winners taking victories for the first time since the 2012 season.

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes Verstappen will still edge Norris to the Drivers’ Championship, while ex-Haas team principal Guenther Steiner also expects it will be a closely fought battle between the two.

Hill gave his thoughts when asked who he thinks will take both championships, while also explaining why it is likely to go down to the final races.

“It’s going be Max by a whisker and the Constructors’ championship will be won by McLaren,” said Hill.

“I think it’s going to go down to at least Brazil. You still need luck to win races and whilst you can have an advantage and win by a whisker, which is what we’re seeing with Max at the moment, you only need one drop out and that’s 26 points with the fastest lap out the window.”

McLaren could catch up to Red Bull

Verstappen’s form has been consistent enough to enable him to maintain his sizable gap to Norris, although any reliability issues could impact that lead.

Red Bull has largely been fine on that front despite a retirement for Verstappen early on at the Australian Grand Prix, while also needing to take a grid penalty for a new power unit in Belgium.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

McLaren has scored the most points of any team in the last eight races and are set to continue their impressive form with Norris and Oscar Piastri, which could enable them to win their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.

Perez may end up making a critical difference if Red Bull’s attempt at downgrading the car helps him find better form in the second half of the year, but it appears their run of dominance has now come to an end.