Foolish to write Hamilton off in F1 title battle - Red Bull boss
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes it would be foolish to write off Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning this year's Formula 1 world championship
With just four grands prix remaining and 100 points available, Hamilton has fallen 33 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings.
The reigning world champion has failed to win since the summer break after heading into it with a 19-point lead following a run of six victories in seven grands prix.
Horner said: "In any sport you see sportsmen get on the crest of a wave and everything falls right for them, and it's going Nico's way at the moment.
"Lewis has had quite a few tough weekends this year, but he'll brush himself down and will fight back.
"He only needs that sniff of something - a DNF [did not finish] from Nico and a win from Lewis and he's right back in the game again, so things can change very quickly.
"We saw it with Kimi [Raikkonen] when he stole the championship from under the noses of Lewis and Fernando [Alonso] in 2007.
"There are still 100 points available in this championship and it would be a foolish person to rule him out at this stage."
LEADING DRIVERS' STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | 313 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 280 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | 212 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | 170 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 165 |
Hamilton recognises he now has a mountain to climb to secure a fourth world title.
"I did the best job I could in Japan," said Hamilton, who finished third at Suzuka behind race-winner Rosberg and Red Bull's runner-up Max Verstappen.
"Every point counts, and I drove my heart out to get as many as possible, but Nico did a great job and he has a healthy margin now, so the drivers' championship has got harder for me.
"I'll give it everything I've got, as I did in the race and always do.
"That's all I can do - focus on doing the best I can - so we'll see what happens."
While Hamilton has at least helped Mercedes secure a third consecutive constructors' championship, the battle for second is still on, with Red Bull holding a 50-point cushion over Ferrari.
Horner said: "The constructors' championship is where the financial revenues are distributed.
"So on top of pride there is a financial implication as well, so second is enormously important for next year's budget situation."
LEADING CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS:
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 593 |
| 2 | Red Bull/Renault | 385 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 335 |
| 4 | Force India/Mercedes | 134 |
| 5 | Williams/Mercedes | 124 |
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