After the first half of the season, which was dominated by the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers, only extreme circumstances will prevent either Verstappen or Hamilton from gaining the upper hand.
Ferrari itself is far from the battle for the title as it is in its own battle with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship.
After the Hungarian GP, the two teams are tied with 163 points each after Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification from the race brought Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari to last place on the podium.
But while Binotto says he’d be happy if Verstappen won to break the monopoly Mercedes and Hamilton had in Formula 1 for many years, he reckons the Dutchman will more than likely lose.
When asked for his opinion on the competition, Binotto said, “At first it’s an exciting fight.
“You are two exceptional drivers and very talented. One has already shown it and the other has undisputed speed of everything he has shown.
“If I had to bet I think Lewis would win. I say this because I think Mercedes will win. They are a solid team and have shown what they are over the past few years.
“I think they have all the elements to win in the end and as the reigning champions they are the ones to beat.”
But despite his views on the result, Binotto said he wants Verstappen to be at the top – or at least lead the title fight into the final round.
“I hope they can fight to the end,” he said. “That means an open championship, an exciting fight and the closest possible fight for the show itself.
“I always cheer myself at Ferrari, but I also cheer Max because I think it’s good for the sport to break the status quo.”
At the moment, Hamilton is eight points ahead of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, having won four races in the first half of the season while his rival had five wins.
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