Max Verstappen has expressed that he has not considered whether McLaren’s abiding driver guidelines could prove advantageous to him in the Formula 1 title battle.
Verstappen scoring his third win in four races last weekend in Austin led him to admit he now sees a chance to complete an incredible turnaround to retain his crown.
The Dutchman’s sensational run has reduced his gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri to 40 points, having dropped as high as 104 points behind post-Zandvoort.
But despite acknowledging the immediate threat that Verstappen poses, McLaren has continued to remain unwilling to prioritise Piastri over team-mate Lando Norris.
Instead, McLaren has now retracted the repercussions that had been enforced on Norris in response to the contact that he made with Piastri at the start in Singapore.
But while the Woking-based squad continues to micromanage the situation between its duelling drivers, Verstappen has denied that might provide him a mental edge.
“That’s not really my problem, is it? I think as a team, they decide what they want to do, right, with the rules,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“I just focus on my own performances.
“And for me, what is the most important is that we have a competitive car. So if we have a competitive car and a chance to beat them, we will.
“So that’s the only thing that I’m focused on.”
Verstappen, who is aiming to become the second driver to clinch five successive titles, has insisted that his approach will remain unchanged over the last five rounds.
“I think it’s still the same,” he asserted. “I mean, worst case, I finish P3, right? So nothing really changes.
“I just want to try and win races until the end of the season. I hope it’s possible every weekend, but it’s impossible to know at the moment.
“We’re on a good run and we also know as a team that it needs to be perfect until the end to have a chance.
“If it works, then yeah, great, unbelievable comeback. If it doesn’t work, you just continue.
“You can be proud of the end of the season that we’ve had and the upswing in performance, but we’ll worry about that in Abu Dhabi.”
Verstappen pinpoints Red Bull advantage versus McLaren
Verstappen dismissed the notion that the reduced pressure that comes with being the hunted, rather than the hunter, as has been the case, has aided his recent form.
However, the reigning champion has suggested that Red Bull’s recent experience when it comes to tight championship contests could help in his battle with McLaren.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really change a lot,” he reiterated. “Of course, naturally, you want to win. You want to win the championship.
“And of course, I’ve won championships very late, very early. Now, this one, of course, is very different because I think for most of the season it was a lot harder for us.
“To be honest with you, to still be in this fight is very surprising, but I take it. And now, like I said before, we need to be perfect.
“But for me, it’s just positive pressure. I mean, I’m loving what I’m doing. If the car is competitive, it’s much better to be racing in it than when it’s not.
“So, yeah, every race that you do, I know until the end you can’t afford any bad luck or mistakes.
“But this team, I think, has shown in the past that normally we perform really well under pressure anyway. And that’s what we’ll try to do until the end.”
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