Inside Line: With five to go, Lewis or Max?

Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen has it all: from the two best of the best vying for the grandest prize in motorsport through the difference in age between the two protagonists including the huge gulf in Grand Prix victories and titles between them, each with a hardcore fanbase, as well as the difference between the ethos of their two teams: one a car manufacturer, another an energy drinks producer.

Ahead of Round 17, this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, a mere twelve points separate the pair in the standings with the Dutch ace top of the table.

I asked the team to dig into their inner Nostradamus to answer the question:

Mark Kay: "Max Verstappen will be the 2021 World Champion. He has age, ruthlessness and form on his side, and combined with the consistent high-level performance of the RB16B I think the 2021 WDC is a fait accompli for him.

"For me, 2021 has clearly demonstrated that whilst Lewis Hamilton has won six championships with Mercedes in the hybrid era, the relative lack of competition at the front during that time hasn’t necessarily best served him nor his team this year, and tactical and strategic errors have been made more often than Red Bull and Verstappen this year.

"I question whether Hamilton’s performance is now being affected by his age and his focus on his extra-F1 endeavours. Further, the Red Bull/Honda pairing have a distinctly broader performance window on a wider range of circuit types and environments, along with an advantage in tyre wear characteristics.

"I suspect that a key differentiator may be the recent improvement of Sergio Perez’s performance at such a critical stage of the championship, and at a time when it is questionable where Valtteri Bottas’s head may be at, Perez looks as though he will be in a position to help Red Bull maximise results for Verstappen.

"Insofar as to how the championship will play out, I suspect that foul play aside, the final round in Abu Dhabi will be a dead rubber and that Verstappen will have it tied up in Jeddah, given his current 12 point advantage."

Kevin Melro: "Max Verstappen will win this year's championship on consistency. He had the quickest car in qualifying in Mexico 2019, Brazil 2019, and Abu Dhabi 2020 and as such, given a continuation of this pattern, it would suggest it's advantage Max on Saturday for at least three of the remaining five races.

"Max also won in Abu Dhabi last time out and in Brazil in 2019. We've also seen the strength of Red Bull on race day in Mexico despite a difficult race for Max in 2019. This time around the playing field appears to be slanted in his favour for the first time in his F1 career.

"The outlook for Hamilton on the other hand isn't so promising. Since Monaco, Hamilton has two victories, both with Verstappen out of winning contention. Meanwhile, driving errors and team strategy blunders have come at a brutal 82-point expense to his championship campaign.

"Worse yet, if Hamilton loses this year's championship, it'll be seen by many as having been lost with a superior car than that of the Red Bull's challenger.

"It'll take a return to early-season form from the 7-time world champion and colossal collapse from Red Bull's Dutchman to turn around the current trajectory, which quite simply isn't going to happen."

Gary Sloan: "In the final races, Lewis and Max collide five times resulting in nil points for both. The stewards deemed the crashes as racing incidents.

"Bottas wins all five races and is crowned world champion with 310 points, Verstappen second with 287.5 points, and Hamilton third on 275.5 points As Bottas crosses the line in Abu Dhabi he yells, 'To whom it may concern yes that’s Toto – F**k you.'

"Finally, Michael Masi's offer to deduct 50 points from Bottas for driving too fast to see if helps the universal disappointment of Max and Lewis failing, but that idea goes begging. Valtteri takes the title to Alfa Romeo."

Jad Mallak: "While my GP247 colleagues have hands-on experience on their side, I rely on my gut feel and observations that I have collected over the course of this gripping season.

"Let me qualify my statements by stating the obvious, that this year’s title fight is too close to call. Both contenders are operating at a separate level from the field, their rides proving to be identical over the range of circuits they have visited. But we have to choose our predicted winner, and I strongly believe it will be Max Verstappen.

"There is something different about the 2021 version of Verstappen, in terms of how he oozes with confidence, not to mention his composure. Long gone are those silly errors in practice sessions, and despite what others may say, and especially the Mercedes camp, his aggression, while still there, is much more calculated.

"When he ascended the podium after his latest victory in Austin, the body language Verstappen projected was that of a seasoned racer, ready to take on any challenge thrown at him, even if that challenge was in the form of the great Lewis Hamilton.

"To have survived the Silverstone, Monza, and Baku setbacks is more than admirable (noting that Hamilton and Mercedes didn’t capitalize on those), and as a result, he leads his rival by 12 points.

"He has got the tools in terms of that agile RB16B, while the whole Red Bull team have upped their game, clearly evident by their bold strategy calls in Austin. Do not count out the resurgent Sergio Perez as well, playing the support role perfectly, compared to an ousted Valtteri Bottas who simply might not be bothered.

"Not to take anything away from Hamilton who has been his usual top, relentless self, but overall, the Verstappen/Red Bull combo is just better this year, and hence my choice of the Dutchman.

"But in motorsport, who’s to say I won’t end up dead wrong after the checkered flag is waved in Abu Dhabi!"

Paul Velasco: "My heart says Max but my head says Lewis, in a season of minuscule margins. I believe Mercedes will be mighty in the final five races but will need to unleash some of the performance they revealed during FP1 in Austin. Perhaps, they went the wrong way with setup and the car was never quite the same thereafter.

"But we did get a peek at what they have in store when they do get their sums right. And they will. And it will ber ominous.

"While the perception is Red Bull destroys Mercedes on strategy, the world champs have also had a few inspirational wins due to clever maths on the pitwall. But the World Champs will certainly have to bring their A-game on all fronts because Red Bull are simply better with pitstops and tactics, as we saw in Texas.

Utter dominance has left Mercedes blunt on the 'how to deal with pressure' front but they are fast learners and should be sharper henceforth.

"While my heart is Go Max! for the title, what would be his first and deny Lewis an eighth and how fitting to end a decade of Mercedes dominance by beating them in the final championship year of this era. Again it's blockbuster stuff.

"But my head is saying 'Lewis will be mighty' as he always is, and the Mercedes W12 in full flight will have the edge over Red Bull's RB16B.

"While I shan't be as extreme as Garry is above, I will venture that tears of the Monza/Silverstone ilk are a high possibility as both Hamilton and Verstappen will not give an inch on track, while anything can happen when they go wheel-to-wheel, which is going to be often in the next five race weekends.

"But in the end, I will predict Lewis will have enough to make it Number Eight thanks to his genius, fewer mistakes and a fantastic car, the title to be decided in his favour at the season finale in Abu Dhabi according to my crystal ball."