Max Verstappen has said that it would be wrong to write off Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning the 2016 season.
Many observers think that with his 26 point advantage with just three races to go, Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg is an almost sure bet for the title.
Indeed, Rosberg will get his first championship 'match point' this weekend in Mexico, but young Dutchman Verstappen thinks that Hamilton still has a chance.
"Even though the facts point to Nico, I just say - Lewis is extremely fast and a great fighter who never gives up. So I think it will still be very exciting until the last race," the Red Bull driver told Germany's Sport Bild.
When asked who he thinks the two best drivers in F1 are at the moment, Verstappen answered without hesitation that they are Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
"They are simply the best at the moment," he said.
He therefore picks Hamilton as the Mercedes driver that he most identifies with.
"I'm Max Verstappen," he insisted. "But if I must answer the question, I'm more of the Lewis type. Although that doesn't mean that Nico isn't very fast."
Yet if he were to go wheel to wheel with Hamilton in a Mercedes, 19-year-old Verstappen thinks he would emerge with the biggest trophy.
"Absolutely. A driver needs this confidence," said Verstappen. "But I really believe it."
The 2016 calendar concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 27.
