Verstappen Evaluates His Chances in the Formula 1 Championship
Star driver Max Verstappen has assessed his chances of winning his fifth Formula 1 world title this year, considering them at 50/50.
Verstappen is currently in third position in the drivers’ championship, 63 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, with six races remaining on the calendar.
It’s 50/50. Whether you win it or not. I don’t really think about it.
Max Verstappen
Before this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Verstappen shared his perspective on his chances. “We go race by race, you know, so we will try to do our best here and then we will move on and see what we get,” he added.
Verstappen has had an outstanding performance after the summer break, reducing the points gap with the McLaren drivers in the championship. So far, he has nine podiums and four victories, including consecutive wins in Monza and Baku.
The 28-year-old Dutch driver has finished ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris in the last four races, including Norris’s retirement from the Dutch Grand Prix due to an oil leak.
Verstappen has avoided focusing on how high his chances are. “I don’t think much about it, it’s that simple,” Verstappen said. “I come to the race weekend, I try to do everything I can in the car. It doesn’t matter if I’m behind or ahead. Naturally, of course, it’s better to be ahead because that means you’re leading the championship.”
“But I just see every opportunity, every race weekend, the opportunity to try and win, if possible. If we don’t, we don’t, life goes on. It’s really not that dramatic for me. It doesn’t put any pressure on. I guess it helps if you’ve already won.”
“So I think that also as a team we try to understand the car a little more, try to see what we can learn a little more also for next year’s car. Because it’s not like you start completely from scratch next year. And that’s all.”
