McLaren chief executive Zak Brown says his team must try to block out the “horror movie” character that is Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver remains a major threat in the F1 title fight.
Verstappen begins Saturday’s Qatar GP Sprint from sixth on the grid and is 24 points behind championship leader Lando Norris with two rounds left. The Dutchman mounted a remarkable comeback after being 104 points adrift of Oscar Piastri following August’s Dutch Grand Prix and can still be in contention for the season finale in Abu Dhabi if his deficit is under 26 points.
“He is like that guy in the horror movie who you think is down and then suddenly it’s, ‘where did he come from?!’” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “He is an immense talent, as good as anyone we have ever seen. I think we have to ignore him, we can’t control what he does. Our mindset is to get on the front row, finish first and second, and then we don’t have to worry about him – but that’s easier said than done.”
Verstappen himself said to PA he would “easily” have already wrapped up the Drivers’ Championship had he been driving McLaren’s 2025 car. “We wouldn’t be talking about a championship,” the four-time world champion said. “I mean they won the constructors’ championship so early that yeah, you can fill it in yourself.”
The threat posed by Verstappen is compounded by the fact he was outqualified by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda for only the second time this year and reported handling issues with bouncing after Friday running, saying the Sprint “will not be a lot of fun” and will be more about survival and making changes for qualifying.
Norris, meanwhile, will start the Sprint behind George Russell and Sprint pole-sitter Oscar Piastri after a compromised final flying lap — he was held up by Williams’ Alex Albon on the out-lap and then ran wide at the final corner. “I would be stupid not to try and win but it is impossible to overtake so I think I will probably finish P3,” Norris said. “Getting past George Russell on the line is probably the best I can hope for.”
Piastri, who took Sprint pole, has a chance to cut the 24-point gap to team-mate Norris by at least a point on Saturday and look to make further gains in Sunday’s Grand Prix. He said the car “had the pace all day” and the team would review details overnight to make sure they finish at the front in the Sprint and set up well for qualifying.
F1’s season-ending triple header continues at Lusail with the Qatar Sprint weekend. The championship permutations mean every position and point over the remaining rounds could be decisive.