DOHA, Qatar – Max Verstappen expressed his support for McLaren’s decision not to implement team orders in their fight for the title. The Formula 1 driver made it clear that he would not tolerate being relegated to a supporting role in favor of his teammate.
These statements come on the eve of the Qatar Grand Prix, a crucial race where Verstappen seeks to keep the battle for the championship alive until the last race of the season. Verstappen’s performance has been impressive, which has made him an unexpected contender for the title against McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After Verstappen’s victory and McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas, Verstappen and Piastri are 24 points behind Norris before the penultimate round. McLaren’s stance of allowing fair competition between its drivers has been a recurring theme throughout the season. The team reiterated that it will not change its approach as long as both drivers maintain mathematical chances of winning the championship, as is the case with Piastri.“I would have told them to go to hell,” Verstappen stated about the hypothetical situation.
Max Verstappen
When asked if he was surprised by this decision and if it complicated his chances, Verstappen replied with a smile: “No, it’s perfect, I think!”.
The driver elaborated on his position, defending the decision and arguing that no driver aspiring to win the world championship would accept that situation. “I think you can’t do a better job than letting them compete. Why would they suddenly say that Oscar is no longer allowed to fight? If they told me that, I wouldn’t show up. I would have told them to go to hell,” added Verstappen. Verstappen continued to argue that a true winner always seeks victory, regardless of the situation. He also mentioned his tie in points with Oscar and the need for many things to go well to be champion. “I think it should be like that, that they are free to compete and I hope we can have a great battle until the end,” he concluded.
In early September, Piastri won Verstappen’s home race, the Dutch Grand Prix, ahead of the Red Bull, while Norris retired due to a problem with his car.
Piastri left Zandvoort with a 34-point lead over Norris and 104 over Verstappen, a difference he has managed to overcome in subsequent races. When asked if he ever imagined still being in the fight, he replied: “No, personally not. After that race, when I got home, I thought it was over.” “But after that, we had a very good change. We definitely understood the car a bit better, we put improvements on the car. So yes, overall, along with probably some mistakes on the other side as well and us maximizing some results, it meant we are here. And I’m happy with it. I would have liked a little more if we had had a better first half,” he concluded.
