“I'm relaxed”: Max Verstappen opens up on his mindset as the three-way title battle heats up

Max Verstappen believes that the prospect of a three-way title fight will not alter his mindset as he heads into the final two race weekends of the 2025 season. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the Qatar GP, the Red Bull driver explained that his experience now allows him to approach such situations very differently from his first title campaign in 2021.

That year, Max Verstappen went head-to-head with Lewis Hamilton in an intense, season-long duel that ultimately came down to the final lap of the finale. Despite the controversy surrounding the outcome, it remains the hardest-fought championship battle of his career. In the seasons that followed, Red Bull’s dominance kept its rivals at a distance, limiting the opportunity for a genuine title challenge. McLaren emerged as a more serious threat in the second half of 2024, but Max Verstappen largely maintained control.

The dynamics shifted in 2025. While he opened the year with two wins, Red Bull’s form dipped sharply until the summer break. It was only after the Italian GP at Monza, when the RB21 received significant upgrades and key weaknesses were addressed, that the four-time world champion regained momentum. Now, with two rounds remaining, Verstappen finds himself in a three-way fight with the McLaren pair, who have been the standout contenders all season.

Following the disqualification of both McLarens in Las Vegas, the reigning champion is tied with Oscar Piastri on 266 points, while Lando Norris holds a 24-point lead. He feels his approach remains unchanged and sees the situation as one where he has little to lose. He expects luck to play a role, but emphasised the importance of a clean, trouble-free weekend. From being 104 points adrift earlier in the season, Max Verstappen has now brought the deficit down to just 24 points, giving him his first realistic shot at the 2025 title. He recognised the task ahead and believes his past championship experience will be crucial in managing the pressure over the final races.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the nature of the three-way battle will change his mental approach going into the final races of the calendar, Max Verstappen said:

“Same doesn’t matter. I mean it doesn't matter if I'm behind or in front you always approach it exactly the same. I mean I'm here to win. And I know that I have to win or at least score a lot more points now to until the end of the season. But yeah I'm fine I mean, it doesn't change anything. Would I like to keep the number one on the car? Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's the best number. But I'm also not too stressed about it. You know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You know, it's not that about it. You know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You know, it's not that I'm going to be crying in Abu Dhabi. So, yeah, I'm relaxed.”

Asked if he was going to have any mind games in store or how he planned to approach the title battle, Max Verstappen said:

“I'll just do it my way. For sure, it helps a little bit. I mean, if I look at myself in ’21 and now, for example, yeah, for sure having the experience helps in terms of how to approach a race week even if you say it doesn't or it shouldn’t help. It does help but at the end of the day the most important is that you have a fast car. So that's what we have to make sure, that we have faster or these equal-ish and then with that we still need a bit of luck. I mean even if they tense up let's say like that and they finish P2, P3 it's still fine you know. So yeah, from our side, everything needs to go really well and then we might need a little help."

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Max Verstappen agrees with McLaren not choosing a title favourite among their drivers with a cheeky response

Max Verstappen believes McLaren is right to avoid selecting a title favourite between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, insisting it would be unfair to discount the Australian at this stage of the championship. He admitted that, in Piastri’s place, he would have disagreed with any such decision. His response, delivered with his trademark humour and sarcasm, reflected that he was far from surprised by McLaren’s stance.

The scenario, however, plays perfectly into Max Verstappen's hands. While he did not explicitly say so, a battle between the McLaren teammates only strengthens his own prospects. Any points they take off each other increase his chances, and his recent resurgence has given him a clear psychological advantage over both drivers. In several wheel-to-wheel moments this season, that pressure has led to mistakes or hesitation from his rivals.

Despite appearing calm and relaxed in front of the media, Max Verstappen’s light-hearted remarks thinly veiled the fact that he stands to gain the most from the situation. With the McLaren drivers locked in their own internal fight, the four-time world champion is poised to apply even more pressure and extract maximum benefit, as the title battle tightens.

Asked if he was surprised that McLaren has not chosen a title favourite at this stage in the championship and is allowing their drivers to race each other, Max Verstappen said:

“No it's perfect, I think yeah, I think you can't do a better job then allowing them to race as well. Because why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn't be allowed anymore to, I mean, if that was said to me, I would have not rocked up. I would have told them to 'F-off'. So yeah, if you’re a real winner and a racer, as a driver, then you go for it. I mean, even if you are behind, then otherwise what's the point of even turning up? Otherwise, you can just easily label yourself as the number 2 driver, which I think he doesn’t want to be.”

“Yeah and for me I know that I am on equal on points with Oscar. Like I said before, a lot still needs to go right, but I think it should be like that they are free to race and hopefully we can make it a great battle till the end,” he added.

Formula 1 has not seen a genuine three-way title fight since 2010, when Sebastian Vettel clinched his first championship after a season-long battle with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. That year, even Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button briefly led the standings, with the lead changing hands five times before Vettel secured the crown by a single point in Abu Dhabi. Before that, the last major three-driver showdown occurred in 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen, Alonso, and Hamilton arrived in Brazil all in contention; Raikkonen ultimately won the title by one point.

The 2025 season has echoed the unpredictability of those years. What initially looked like a McLaren walkover, highlighted by their early clinching of the constructors’ trophy in Singapore, has been unsettled by Red Bull’s late-season revival. Max Verstappen, never entirely out of the conversation, has mounted a formidable comeback after the summer break, putting himself back into contention.

The double disqualification of the McLarens in Las Vegas tightened the fight even further. Without it, the Dutchman would have arrived in Qatar with a 47-point deficit. Instead, the standings have dramatically compressed: Lando Norris leads on 390 points, while Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen are level on 266. With two races left, the championship is now poised for one of the most compelling finales in recent years.