Red Bull’s Verstappen heads into the final two races of the season with an eight-point advantage ovཧer Hamilton, who won consecutive races in Brazil and Qatar to successfully reduce what had been a 21-point deficit. 

While Gasly expects Mercedes to be very strong once again at this week🦄end’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the AlphaTauri driver thinks Verstappen will ultimately prౠevail to the title, especially if he still has a points lead after Jeddah. 

“Max has the point advantage,” Gasly said. “I kind of see him winning in the end. He’s got two races. It’s onꦦly two races, but he’s got eight points advan♏tage, so he’s clearly in the better position.

“I don’t think🐷 it’s going to be an easy one. I think Mercedes is going to be very strong here.

“But if he arrives in Abu Dhabi with the points aཧdvantage, I think he’s going t꧂o get the championship.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc saysꦦ he has now changed his mind over who he believes is the favourite for the world champio🦄nship.

With momentum shifting towards Hamilton ever since his comeback victory in Brazil, Leclerc feels the seven-time wo🅘rld champion will be hard to beat.

“I keep chang༒ing my mind!” Leclerc said. “I was pretty sure Max will get it until Sao Paulo and then after Brazil I changed a bit my mi𒁃nd. 

“Now I think probably Lew🐷is is on a good run - but it's true Max has the points advantage whi🐼ch is what matters. 

“Sཧo it's going to be tight but if anythin♏g, maybe Lewis.” 

Meanwhile, George Russell - who will become Hamilton’s teammate next year - said he hasಞ been impressed by the gains Me💙rcedes has managed to make over the course of the campaign. 

“It’s been great to see to b⛎e honest,” Russell explained. “I think as another driver, you appreciate what both of them are achieving in their given circumstances. 

“🌠I think they are both driving excellently and it’s great to see a proper battle going on between the two, and how each team has progressed throughout the season. 

“I think Red Bull and Max probably had the upper hand at the start of the year and things have s꧋lightly swayed maybe into Lewis’s hands in recent events. 

“But it always impresses me how well Mercedes mana♒ges to really and fully optimise th🔜eir package. 

"Even in a year of no de⛄velopment,▨ they are still finding these small marginal gains, which, over the course of a season, results in some quite big progress. So I’m sure it’ll go down to the wire.”