The epic championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is set to go down to the wire, according to F1 legend Gerhard Berger.

Having trailed by 33 points at one stage, seven-time world champion Hamilton now holds an eight-point advantage ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa this weekend. But despite the shift in momentum Berger, who most notably raced for both Ferrari and McLaren during his 13-year F1 career, expects the title duel to swing back and forth up until the last race in Abu Dhabi in December. And the 61-year-old praised both drivers, and their respective teams, for creating a “unique” rivalry between Red Bull racing and Mercedes.

”I would have said a short time ago that Max will do it this year, but in F1 you should never underestimate the competition and take nothing for granted,” said Berger.

“Max should actually come to Spa-Francorchamps with a comfortable lead, but Mercedes and Hamilton have changed the situation – by all means.

”I’ve seen a lot of duels in F1 but this is unique, with the two top drivers, the technical geniuses behind them, with Wolff (Toto Wolff) against Marko (Helmut Marko) – they are all outstanding professionals who make for an incredible starting position.