Verstappen taking it 'one race at a time' as fifth title hangs in the balance
The 2025 F1 world championship remains a possibility for Tilbrook-based Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen will not change his approach heading into this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix as his bid for a fifth world championship hangs in the balance.
Lando Norris just needs to outscore team-mate Oscar Piastri the Red Bull Racing ace by two points to secure his first world championship, and the first for McLaren since Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic last lap triumph in 2008.
Four wins in the last seven races though have catapulted Verstappen back into title contention, but he knows he will have his work cut out for him to overturn the 24-point margin separating him from Norris and a fifth straight world crown.
He said: “The points in the championship have got closer after Vegas however, as we go into Qatar, we will still approach the weekend the same way we have always done and just take it one race at a time.
“We go into each weekend focused on maximising as many points as we can and extracting the best performance out of the car possible, which is exactly what we will be doing for this race too.
“It is a sprint weekend so there are even more points to win here and we can only afford to have a perfect weekend.
“Lusail is a demanding circuit, the heat means tyre management is key and we need to make sure we execute everything right with the mandatory two stop. We are focused on keeping the positive momentum going and the team are pushing as hard as we can to bring the best performance."
Yuki Tsunoda sounded resigned after yet another pointless outing last time out in Las Vegas. With his career still hanging in the balance with two races to go, the Japanese said he is hoping for a little more luck than he has had in recent races so he can help in Verstappen’s title bid.
He said: “Max is really back in the fight for his title and I will be there to support that battle wherever I can. We will all need to work together to achieve that.
“I’m going into Qatar knowing that with some luck I can have a more successful weekend. I believe if things fall into place properly I have the pace and performance in the car to give the team the result we deserve.”