Lewis Hamilton reckons Formula 1 fans are in for plenty more excitement over the second half of the season, with his Mercedes team, Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari all in the mix at the sharp end.

No fewer than seven drivers – Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Hamilton and Oscar Piastri – have won a Grand Prix in 2024 so far, highlighting just how competitive the sport currently is.

It also brings back memories of the 2012 season, when the opening seven races yielded seven different winners, including Hamilton himself, and the outgoing Mercedes man described the situation as “great” for F1 as a whole.

“It’s really fantastic, I think, for the sport, to be having such close teams and drivers,” he commented. “The pedigree of drivers at the top today are really elite and amazing.

“We didn’t expect to be competing with the McLarens or the Red Bulls at this point in the season, you know, with how we started off, so for us to now have closed up and be… It’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season, for sure.”

As for whether his and the team’s recent form could turn into a surprise 2024 title challenge, ahead of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, the British and Belgian Grand Prix winner countered: “No. It would be high hopes.

“But, I mean, if we can continue this kind of performance as we’ve had the last few races, which has been fantastic… I think if we can start our weekends off a little bit better, hopefully we can continue.

“I think, obviously, the McLaren was very strong [in Belgium], we were just a bit further ahead early on [in the race], but yeah, we’ve just got to keep pushing.”

Hamilton’s team mate, George Russell, who lost victory at Spa-Francorchamps when his car was found to be underweight, reckons the tight battles at the front also bode well for a multi-team title fight next year.

“I think for all of us, it’s been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories, but I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025,” he said.

“When you look at the competition now, you know, there’s no reason why we can’t fight, and if the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different.

“It’s going to be great. I think there’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves, so for sure, it’s not going to be easy, and hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”

With 14 of 24 scheduled races completed, Mercedes sit fourth in the constructors’ standings on 266 points, behind Ferrari (345), McLaren (366) and Red Bull (408), while Hamilton is sixth in the drivers’ battle (127 points adrift of leader Verstappen) and Russell is eighth (161 back).