Damon Hill sends message to Lando Norris and McLaren: ‘Don’t give away points in F1 title fight’

Exclusive: The 1996 F1 world champion speaks about this year’s championship as Norris narrows the deficit to Max Verstappen following his win at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday

Damon Hill has implored McLaren to be ruthless in the Formula One drivers’ championship as Lando Norris launches a title fightback against Max Verstappen.

Norris earned his second F1 victory on Sunday with a terrific win at the Dutch Grand Prix – Verstappen’s home race – with his winning margin to the Dutchman of 22.8 seconds the biggest of the season.

It was a statement drive from the 24-year-old, who is in the midst of a title tilt for the first time. He trails three-time champion Verstappen by 70 points ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Norris now seems to be armed with the quickest and most race-effective car on the grid but points have been left on the table. The Bristolian has struggled with his starts – a feature repeated again on Sunday when he lost first place at turn one to Verstappen – and he missed out on seven points as he succumbed to team orders in Hungary last month, allowing teammate Oscar Piastri to claim victory.

Hill, who won the 1996 title ahead of Williams teammate Jacques Villeneuve, was unimpressed by the decision. Speaking to The Independent, he said: “I’d say to McLaren… would they like to start next year with a Formula One world champion driving for them?

“That’s what they’ve got to consider the next time they have team orders. You don’t give away seven points in the championship if you’re in a title fight.

“That’s the only criticism I have. I understand the logic and I understand they have conversations about it in advance. But it’s always been a thorny issue in our sport because the teams see themselves as more important than the drivers’ championship.”

McLaren dominated the Dutch GP weekend as F1 returned following the summer break. Norris took pole position, silencing the 100,000-strong orange-clad Dutch crowd, by a stunning three-tenths of a second to Verstappen, at a track which is the second shortest on the calendar.

However, the overwhelming sense of deja vu was indisputable when Verstappen cruised past Norris down the inside at lights out – the sixth time Norris has failed to lead after lap one when starting an F1 race on pole.

Lando Norris trails Max Verstappen by 70 points after his win at Zandvoort (Getty Images)

Damon Hill (left) insists McLaren must be ruthless if Norris is to catch Verstappen (right) (Getty Images)

But Norris, and his team on the pit wall, did not panic in the knowledge that their race pace throughout the weekend had been superior to the previously unbeatable Red Bull, and so it proved as Norris comfortably passed Verstappen on lap 18 and never looked back.

Speaking about Norris’s title foray this year prior to the race in Zandvoort, Hill added: “Liberty Media [F1 owners] understand this – the big bucks is in the drivers’ championship.

“Ultimately, the team don’t get any of the money from the constructors’ championship if they don’t have a show at the other end.”

The drivers’ championship – that “show at the other end” which Hill refers to – is now the tightest it has been since Verstappen’s thrilling championship victory against Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

While Norris will be looking to cut the deficit to Verstappen once more, McLaren will also have an eye on the constructors’ championship – where they trail Red Bull by just 30 points. With nine races to go and after two years of one-sided dominance, F1 has serious competitiveness at the business end of the season once more.

Damon Hill was speaking at the launch of the F1 Exhibition at the ExCeL Centre in London