Verstappen: I'm surprised to still be a title contender.

      Max Verstappen, speaking to the press in Mexico, in his usual manner said that he would not be upset if he did not win the title this year, although he has been world champion for the previous four years and knows what it takes.

      Max Verstappen: "I want to say that in the worst case I'll finish third, which is where I am now, so nothing would change for me. I just want to try to keep winning the races that remain this season.

      I hope that every weekend I'll have the opportunity to fight for victory, although that's not certain yet. But we've had a decent run of performances, and our whole team understands that we must be perfect until the end of the season to have a chance at the title. And if we manage it — well, great! It would be an incredible story about how we came back.

      If not — then we just have to keep working. I suppose we can be proud of how we're finishing this season and of the sharp improvement we've achieved, but it's better to put all the worries about this off until Abu Dhabi.

      Of course, we want to win, we want to win this championship. Naturally, I've won championships before; I've managed to clinch the title both at the very end of a season and early. This season, of course, has unfolded completely differently, because, to be honest, for a large part of it our situation was much worse. And it's very surprising that I'm still a title contender, but I accept it.

      As I said, to win we have to be perfect in everything, and if I'm feeling pressure now, it's positive pressure. I love what I do. When you have a competitive car at your disposal, racing in it is much better than when the car lacks pace."