'Nervous' McLaren can no longer secure victory 'the simple way.'

      "They're feeling the heat, obviously."

      Max Verstappen's push back into the title race is prompting McLaren to face an escalating internal conflict—whether to allow Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to race freely or to implement team orders as the pressure rises. The mounting tension has been evident for some time, reaching its peak with McLaren's chaotic double-DNF in the sprint race in Austin, which left Red Bull and Verstappen sensing vulnerability.

      "They're under pressure, of course," Dr. Helmut Marko from Red Bull commented to Viaplay. "They can’t win the easy way anymore. We’ll keep pushing. We’re making them anxious, and that appears to be effective."

      Timo Glock from Sky Deutschland echoed this sentiment, noting that McLaren's management is now facing its greatest challenge of the season. "These are all issues they must tackle now," he stated. "And Max Verstappen is primarily focused on unsettling them."

      Within McLaren, the pressure and the similarities to past seasons are evident. CEO Zak Brown recognized that the current situation is reminiscent of the notorious 2007 season, when McLaren's title battle between Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton allowed Kimi Raikkonen to snatch the championship at the last moment.

      "Repeating 2007? It’s a risk, indeed," Brown remarked. "If you have two drivers like in 2007, where they were tied on points and Kimi was just ahead at the season’s end—that's the racing style McLaren prefers. We want two drivers capable of winning the championship.

      "However, if you designate one driver as number 1 and the other as number 2, it jeopardizes your chances in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s a challenging sport. We’re here to race. We want to give both drivers a shot at the title, and that carries certain risks, as seen in 2007.

      "But we are all mindful of that and prepared for the possibility it might lead to a similar result."

      Brown also acknowledged that Verstappen's recent resurgence has complicated matters. "I think the current situation is that Max is closer than we’d like," he said. "We saw what happened in the Netherlands—how quickly things can shift. Therefore, we’re solely focused on this weekend and will keep evaluating the results race by race."

      Team principal Andrea Stella took a more measured approach, emphasizing that the team is concentrating on performance rather than establishing a hierarchy. "We recognize that Verstappen and Red Bull currently have the most competitive package," he noted. "It took some time for both our drivers to find their rhythm in qualifying. But that doesn’t discourage us.

      "We know we can perform well in these hot conditions due to tire degradation. We’re looking forward to racing tomorrow."

      Marko mentioned that Verstappen's renewed motivation has introduced a perilous new factor into the competition. "When we weren’t competitive, Max lost some interest," he revealed. "He was more inclined towards racing GT cars, and to keep him motivated, I discussed the Nurburgring with him. But now that the car is performing well—and he’s had success there—his motivation is contributing a couple of tenths.

      "He’s enjoying himself again—smiling, which is exactly what we need. It’s premature to discuss a return to title contention, but this weekend looks promising."