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Max Verstappen has claimed it is “remarkable” and “very impressive” that he remains in the world championship hunt as he stoked up the mind games with Lando Norris and McLaren as this season’s Formula One battle reaches its climax.
Four-time world champion Verstappen was 104 points off the title pace after his home race in the Netherlands five rounds ago.
But heading into the concluding four contests – starting with this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil – Verstappen is just 36 points adrift of Norris. The British driver’s team-mate Oscar Piastri is one point further back with McLaren the class of this year’s field.
And Red Bull’s Verstappen, returning to the scene of his stunning wet-weather victory last year which saw off Norris’ title bid, said: “For me, there is no pressure.
“Even if I don’t win it, I still know that I drove a really good season and I can happily say that to try and replicate the season that I have done, most people on the grid would find that very tough.
“So, you just need to be realistic with the chances we have had throughout the season and to still be talking about being in this fight is already remarkable in the first place.
“For sure, it has to do with the turnaround of the team, they nave gave up and that is a strength of a team.
“Nevertheless, at one point when you are over 100 points behind, and we are still talking about being in this fight, that is very impressive.”
Norris delivered a statement win at the previous round in Mexico City to recapture the championship lead for the first time since Piastri moved to the title summit in Saudi Arabia on April 20.
“When you get reminded about it, because my friends or people you bump into talk about it, it is a cool thought to think I am fighting for an F1 world championship,” said Norris, who for his part fell 34 points adrift of Piastri when his engine expired in the Netherlands.
“Being in a position to do that is part of my dream. And it still feels incredible, but in terms of achieving the actual dream, it doesn’t feel any different.
“Nothing is completed, nothing is done, there are still more than 100 points available so it doesn’t mean anything. I need to win this weekend, next weekend and the all the final races and that’s my goal.
“But when I have a weekend like last weekend, I can prove to myself that I can dominate, and that is a nice thought because it is nice to prove to myself what I am capable of and what I can achieve. It was a small achievement of a bigger puzzle. There is a much bigger picture in mind. You smile for a day and then move on.”
