24 August 2023 , 08:54
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Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham has backed Lewis Hamilton to finish second behind long-time rival Max Verstappen this season.
Hamilton is currently fourth in the drivers' standings, just one point behind Fernando Alonso in third and 41 points behind second-placed Sergio Perez. However, Pinkham has boldly tipped Hamilton to leapfrog both of them after securing top four finishes in six out of the last seven races.
"I'm going to say that Lewis Hamilton will finish runner-up because I fear Aston Martin's decent run of form is over," Pinkham said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
"Whether it is to do with this flexi-wing being outruled or they have just gone down a bit of a cul-de-sac in terms of development and it's been exaggerated by the fact that others have done well, like McLaren."
However, former F1 world champion Damon Hill says he would be surprised if Hamilton is able to pip Perez to the runner-up spot, claiming the Red Bull driver has now "turned a corner" after a few disappointing performances.
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"I don't think Lewis can get Checo," Hill said. "I'd be amazed if he could overturn his performance. We don't want Checo to have another nightmare middle part of the season like he's had and I think he's turned a corner a bit.
"Red Bull have never had a 1-2 in the drivers' championship. It's leading up to them ticking all the boxes, breaking all the records and I kind of would like to see that happen because then it's a historic season and you were there to witness it - they are breaking all the records as they go and we are going into the unknown."
Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to finish second this season (Qian Jun/Getty Images)And former Red Bull performance engineer Blake Hinsey agreed with Hill's verdict, claiming it is "almost a certainty" that Perez will finish second behind his teammate Verstappen. "I see Natalie's point as well but I think Perez will finish runner-up," Hinsey said.
"He had this little slump in form last year after the summer break and then came back towards the end of the season and he was fighting. I don't remember that happening with him in the past. But I'm going to be boring and go for Perez. I think that's almost a certainty but not guaranteed."
And Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has vowed they "won't be letting up" when they return to action at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. "We return recharged and ready for the second half of the season," he said. "There is plenty to fight for and we won't be letting up. We will push hard in the battle for second in the constructors' championship. We will also be driving development forward for 2024. Those are challenges we are excited for."