YAS MARINA, Abu Dhabi — Max Verstappen gave a good reason why he is going into Formula 1’s three-way title decider totally relaxed: “I have four of those at home.”
Defending champion Verstappen has capitalized on the intra-team fight at McLaren between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to emerge as a wildcard title contender going to Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen has orchestrated one of the great second halves of the season to come into the finale 12 points behind Norris, meaning he has to finish in the top three to even stand a chance of the title.
Verstappen joined Norris and Piastri in a press conference on Thursday alongside the world drivers’ championship trophy, which features the names and signature of every winner spanning back to 1950.
The Dutchman referenced the F1 silverware when asked if his experience of championship showdowns in Abu Dhabi, where he won a controversial first in 2021, gave him an edge.
“I mean, trophy looks the same,” he said, laughing. “You know, I have four of those at home … so nice to add a fifth. I know my signature, so it’s the same.”
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Most thought Verstappen and Red Bull’s championship chances were done earlier in the season, a year which saw the team split with long-time boss Christian Horner in July.
But Verstappen’s remarkable form since the summer break has vaulted him back into contention and on Thursday he spoke like a man just happy to be in with a chance.
“I’m very relaxed,” Verstappen added. “Nothing to lose, you know? I’m just enjoying being here. But for me, it’s not even about being here [in Abu Dhabi]. I’ve been enjoying the second half of the season, working with the team, how we’ve been able to turn it around from difficult times and really having a debrief after the race, being very disappointed and frustrated with the performances to just enjoying, smiling.
“Having these wins again is fantastic. So, I just take it — everything here is just a bonus, sitting here fighting for the title. So that’s also what makes it very straightforward for me. We will just try to have a good weekend. But then even then, it’s not really in my control, you know? So we just, yeah, like I said, try to enjoy it.”
As winner of the last four world championships, he said the outcome of Sunday’s race will not affect him in the slightest.
“Of course, you always try to win it. But at the same time, I’ve already achieved everything that I wanted to achieve in F1, and everything is just a bonus. I just keep doing it because I love it and I enjoy it.
“And that’s also how I go into this weekend — have a good time out there, try to maximise the result. And even with that, maximising the result? I don’t even know what that means in terms of where you are in the ranking, you know? Because realistically, I don’t think we are the quickest. But you never know. A lot of things can happen — like it did also in Qatar. So we’ll just see.”
