Max Verstappen says ‘perfect’ season end needed for shock F1 title

Max Verstappen is chasing down the two McLaren drivers.
Max Verstappen said he will need to be “perfect” until the end of the season to have a realistic chance of retaining his World Championship crown as he closes in on the McLaren duo.
The Dutchman’s three wins in the past four races has shrunk the gap to 40 points and a once seemingly impossible title charge looks to be very much on the cards.
Max Verstappen makes ‘perfect’ requirement for F1 title
The race in Austin had a 2023 feel to it as Verstappen disappeared from the chasing pack to a comfortable win, something that did not look possible earlier in the year.
But upgrades made to the Red Bull car as well as McLaren’s switch to focus on 2026 has brought the Dutchman into championship contention.
In the last four races, Verstappen has pulled back 64 points in the gap to leader Oscar Piastri but with five races and two Sprints to go, the reigning champion believes he needs to be “perfect” to have a chance of winning.
“I think we need to be perfect until the end to have a chance,” he said. “We caught up a lot. But at the same time, the gaps are very small.
“I think every weekend you need to try and be perfect, and that’s what we’ll try to do until the end.
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“It’s super close, and just attention to detail will make the difference. Trying to get the best set-up on the car every weekend and then try not to make mistakes. So that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Even if it was reversed, Verstappen’s statements were the most optimistic he’s been about his title chances having previously suggested he did not have much hope.
The momentum has swung his way since F1 returned from the summer break and he said that if someone had told him then that he would be in title contention, he would have called them an “idiot.”
“I would have told him he was an idiot,” Verstappen joked. “But we found a good way with the car. It’s simple as that.
“Of course, we put some upgrades on the car, but we just understood our car a bit better — where we wanted it to perform better.
“Every weekend we try to achieve it. Some weekends, it’s better than others, but in general, it’s been way more straightforward the last few weekends compared to before those races. So that’s what we need to try and extract out of it now every single weekend.”
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