Max Verstappen has downplayed a possible “distraction” felt by both McLaren drivers as he continues to lurk in the periphery of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship race.
The Dutchman has managed to reduce a deficit to the top of the table from 104 points since his home Grand Prix at Zandvoort to just 36 with four races still to run.
Verstappen has benefitted from a rejuvenated RB21 which has enabled him to combat both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and allowed him an outside chance of still retaining his crown.
The Red Bull driver enters this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix still comfortable in a ‘hunter, not hunted’ situation, with expectations somewhat high after his brilliant win at Interlagos last year.
Speaking ahead of the race weekend, Verstappen said he will be content with what he’s achieved this year, even if he comes away having to relinquish his title to either Norris or Piastri.
“For me there is no pressure,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “Even if I don’t win it, I still know that I drove a really good season.
“I can happily say that to try and replicate the season that I’ve done with people on the grid I think it will be very tough.
“You just need to be realistic in the chances that we had throughout the season. To still be talking about being in this fight I think is already remarkable in the first place.
“It has to do with the turnaround of the team. They never gave up and that’s the strength of the team.
“Nevertheless, when you’re over 100 points behind and still we’re talking about being in this fight I think it’s very impressive.”
Verstappen will ‘drive the fastest car as fast as it needs to be’
Mercedes and Ferrari have also crept slowly towards the McLaren pace in recent races, too, opening up a breadth of competitiveness as the season reaches a crescendo.
When asked how both those teams could potentially help Red Bull take the fight further to McLaren, Verstappen said: “By being faster than them, that would be nice.
“But first of all, we also need to be faster than them to the end of the season to close the gap down, so we’ll see.
“I mean, we had some good rounds where the gap of course came down, but now to the end with four races, it’s still a pretty big gap.
“I need to score a lot more points every single weekend, which is not that straightforward.
“I mean, if you would give me the 2023 season with how everything was and you tell me I’m 36 points behind with four races to go, I’m like, yeah, no problem, easy.
“But this season, of course, has been a little bit different, so it comes down to us optimising everything and nailing the weekend.
“And besides that, probably we need a little bit of luck on one round to create a bigger offset, but we’re going to give it all. And if that’s going to be enough at the end of the year, I don’t know, but there’s also not much to lose.
“I mean, worst case we have P3 and best case you can win a championship.”
When asked how, by contrast with McLaren, it feels to have the whole team behind him rather than juggling two drivers in this situation, Verstappen acknowledged how it may be a benefit, but said the importance is jus to have a “faster car”.
“I think in a way of course it’s nice. But of course being part of the team already for a very long time you get to know each other really well,” he said.
“We’ve had already a lot of success together. There is an opportunity of course that we can win it so we are going for it all in.
“For sure the distraction maybe is a little bit there at McLaren between the two drivers but at the same time they still have a very fast car.
“So if you would tell me what I would like to have give me the distraction, I don’t care anyway. Just give me the fastest car and I’ll drive it as fast as it needs to be.
“It can be nice for me but at the same time we just need to make sure that we have a faster car. We need to be ahead of them. It’s as simple as that.”
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