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 | Oscar Piastri: Worrying about Verstappen will not help me win the championship22-11-2025 |
Piastri commented on Verstappen`s pursuit of a fifth title. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri admitted the meteoric rise of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen had come as a surprise, with the four-time Formula 1 champion having clawed back 64 of a 104-point deficit over four rounds.
This form has been a bit of a surprise since Monza. Again, such results have happened at times earlier in the season, but they were followed by quite serious declines. Such stability was a surprise.
We know that [Red Bull] is still updating the car, trying to improve it. In some ways, this isn`t such a huge surprise. But [Verstappen] came back into contention faster than I expected.
Does this change my approach? No, to be honest. Of course, the gap has narrowed over the last few races, but I was always focused on going as fast as possible myself and making the most of every weekend - sometimes it worked, sometimes it definitely didn`t.
That`s what I`m thinking about. If you perform well enough at each stage, it won’t matter what the picture looks like, ” said the season leader before the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Australian assured that he is not worried about the fact that Verstappen`s gap has decreased significantly:
I don`t think about it, no. He`s been performing very consistently and strongly over the last weekend, there`s no denying that. As for me, there is no point in worrying or thinking about it.
What will help me win the championship is the desire to get the best out of myself, out of the car, out of the team around me. Worrying about someone else is not one of those things. He`s in the fight, but that doesn`t change my approach to racing.
Everyone likes the underdog story, and sometimes it`s easier to make a comeback, but I`d rather lead the championship than be in another position. I`ve always said that I like to lead - it usually means you`ve done something right.
Verstappen has clawed back 64 of the 104-point lead in the title fight over 4 Grands Prix, winning 3 races, 3 poles and a sprint
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