Brown: Verstappen is very much in the game

Even if the odds look stacked against Verstappen, with a 63-point gap to McLaren’s frontrunner Oscar Piastri and six rounds to go, the Red Bull driver cannot be ruled out until the numbers say so.

McLaren boss Zak Brown is taking nothing for granted, even at this late stage. “Max is very much in the game. I think it would be a big mistake to think Max wasn’t part of this Drivers’ Championship right now,” he said on Friday — a warning he has repeated in recent weeks.

The Dutch driver, who sits third overall and has beaten both McLarens in the past three races, is not going to argue, even if he insists he is taking things one race at a time. He starts today's Sprint Race from pole position.

“One retirement [for McLaren] and you’re fully back into it,” Verstappen told Reuters before securing pole position for Saturday’s Sprint at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

“There’s always a chance, right? But everything needs to go perfect. I don’t think positively about it or negatively,” he added. “I just see it as every race weekend we just need to maximise everything we can, and then you walk up to Abu Dhabi and see where you are.”

While Piastri and second-placed teammate Lando Norris duel with each other, Verstappen remains the undisputed number one at Red Bull, both an advantage and a disadvantage.

If teammate Yuki Tsunoda is not taking points off him, neither is the Japanese driver getting between Verstappen and the McLarens, which would help close the gap faster.

Verstappen said: “I just think about myself, what I can do, what I have to improve on with the car. We’re still in a phase where I think we can do better, and that’s what we focus on.

“Yes, our season has not been amazing at the start and we had some tough runs. It’s still a good achievement to be in contention. But everything needs to go perfect to the end of the year to be able to have a chance. I think it’s important not to overstress it or overcomplicate it.”

The example of 2007, when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen went into the final race third overall and snatched the title by a single point from McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton, has been mentioned.

Verstappen is also chasing two McLarens, but he is much further back than Raikkonen ever was, even if he has slashed the deficit from triple figures. He is now 41 points behind Norris, with 174 still to be won.

If the Drivers’ title proves a step too far, and the Constructors’ is already settled, the consolation prize of second overall remains a target. Mercedes are currently second but only 35 points ahead, with Ferrari third and just eight clear of Red Bull.

Verstappen added: “It’s going to be tough because it looks like Mercedes is also a little bit on the up, and we need to outscore them every single race weekend from now onwards to have a good opportunity.

“We’ll see. The car is getting better. It’s always impossible to know how good it is compared to the McLaren, but there’s an opportunity to fight for second in the Constructors’, and that’s what we’ll try to do," concluded the Dutch ace. (