Max Verstappen fires 'not in my head' warning ahead of McLaren title showdown

Max Verstappen has warned McLaren that "losing is not in my head" as he heads to the titanic Abu Dhabi title showdown. 

McLaren's strategy blunder in the Qatar Grand Prix opened the door for Verstappen to win, with this being coupled to a second place for Oscar Piastri and fourth for title leader Lando Norris.

It means heading to the season finale, Norris has 408 points, Verstappen 396 and Piastri 392, meaning for the first time since 2010, more than two drivers head to the finale in title contention. 

Verstappen is seeking a record-equalling fifth straight title, something only Michael Schumacher has achieved, with the Dutchman defiant after his 70th career grand prix win.

"Well, I mean, first of all, when they called me in, I had to look and remember that it was Lap 7, so I was like: 'Okay, now we can go to the end,'" Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.

"So then, yeah, I was a bit surprised [about McLaren not pitting] once I did the whole pit stop because when I came out of the pit, I was like: 'Okay, I think this is a very good opportunity now for us to win the race.'

"I thought at that moment that there was a big chance of winning it. I don’t think about losing. That’s not in my head. I think about how to win.

"I knew that we probably did the right thing. I think I also knew that the two McLarens needed a lot of pace to overcome basically that kind of pit-stop. 

"So I think when the safety car went away, of course, initially they pulled away quite a bit, but for me, it was just making sure that these two stint lengths were in the best possible pace from the first stop until the end. And I think we managed that well."