Max Verstappen targets F1 title number five, focusing on car performance over confidence, as McLaren intensifies championship challenge this season.
Can Max Verstappen save his world title this season and claim a fifth consecutive championship victory?
The season got off to a rough start for Red Bull, but the Dutchman managed to salvage vital points and even secure two wins against McLarens that were more or less dominant in race pace.
However, the upgrades introduced at Imola may have put the RB21 back on the right track. So, with nearly a third of the season behind us and a 22-point gap to the current leader, Oscar Piastri, does Verstappen truly believe he’s still in the fight against McLaren? Does he feel confident about a fifth title at the end of the year?
“Well, it’s not a question of confidence. It’s about where you stand after the final race, and we keep working every weekend to be better and improve the situation. A lot can happen. If you’d asked me the same question last year at this time, I would’ve said: ‘Yes, we’ll win. No problem.’ But many things have changed. It’s not guaranteed to be easy through to the end of the season. I think we still need to improve in certain areas, but nothing dramatic. We’ll try to find improvements.”
Teamwork Key to Victory
At this point in the season, the drivers’ title fight is shaping up to be a close one between him, the two McLaren drivers, and one Red Bull. To what extent would he also like to see Yuki Tsunoda offer support—not only to provide the team with excellent strategic options but also to help defend against Oscar and Lando?
“Well, as a team, we want both cars to be in the best possible position. But look at 2023, for example. If we have a good car, we’ll be quick, and regardless of the strategy from other teams, we’ll beat them. We need to make sure we get back to that position.”
“At the moment, sometimes it works—Imola was good. When the car is working and you’re comfortable, no matter the strategies of other cars or teams around you, you just follow your strongest strategy. Naturally, as a team, we want to finish one-two every weekend, but that’s tough right now. The competition is very strong. McLaren is doing an excellent job. So we keep working, trying to improve—both for me and for Yuki—and we’ll see in the next few races what we can do.”
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Consistency Fuels Verstappen’s Fire
Is consistency the key to keeping his title hopes alive? And if so, is it difficult to be consistent with a car that has such a narrow performance window?
“Of course, to win a championship, you need to be consistent. But we must focus solely on performance. The more competitive we are, the easier everything else becomes. That’s what we’re trying to do: improve the car’s performance, extend tire life—all of that together. That’s our goal for the rest of the year. Everyone is doing it, but we want more.”
There’s a broad consensus on his talent and how he seems to be driving beyond the car’s capabilities. Is this the best level he’s ever reached?
“Yes. Things are going well. But that’s not something you can constantly ask yourself. You always want to improve. Some weekends are better than others. Overall, I’m quite satisfied. But you can also not be entirely satisfied. We always analyze everything that can be improved—even the good weekends, and of course, the not-so-good ones. I’m sure you never stop learning in Formula 1.”
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