Max Verstappen says the destiny of the world championship is out of his control as he bids to win the title for the fifth year in a row.
The Red Bull driver must finish on the podium this weekend to be in with a chance of winning the title. But even that might not be enough to beat Norris to the title if the McLaren driver also finishes in the top three.
Verstappen was up to 88 points behind Norris and 104 points behind former championship leader Oscar Piastri earlier in the season. He said he is pleased just to be in with a chance of winning the title at the final round.
“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 [going from] having a debrief after the race, being very disappointed and frustrated with the performances to just enjoying, smiling,” he said. “Having these wins again is fantastic.
“So, I just take it. Everything here is just a bonus, sitting here fighting for the title. 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.”
Having won the title four times before, Verstappen says he has little to lose if he doesn’t win it again.
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“I mean, the trophy looks the same,” he said. “I have four of those at home, so it’s nice to add a fifth. I know my signature, so it’s the same.
“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. That’s also how I go into this weekend; have a good time out there, try to maximise the result.”
While Verstappen needs to win the race to have the best possible chance of taking the title, he isn’t convinced Red Bull will have the quickest car this weekend.
“Realistically, I don’t think we are the quickest,” he said. “But you never know. A lot of things can happen – like it did also in Qatar. So we’ll just see.”
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