Max Verstappen issues Red Bull demand as title race 'surprise' named

Max Verstappen has demanded Red Bull be "perfect" to complete a stunning comeback and steal the drivers' title away from McLaren.

After the Dutch GP, Verstappen found himself 104 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, but just four races later, Verstappen is now just 40 points behind Piastri. 

Verstappen has won three of the previous four grands prix, with Red Bull's upturn in form coinciding with a wobble for Piastri, who has posted a third, a DNF, fourth, and a fifth in those four grands prix, whilst also crashing out of the US Grand Prix sprint at Turn 1.

No F1 driver has ever overcome a deficit of 104 points to claim the title, as Verstappen explained how Red Bull would need to be "perfect" for him to be just the second driver, after Michael Schumacher, to win five straight drivers' titles.

"Honestly, it doesn't really change a lot. Of course, naturally, you want to win the championship, and of course, I've won championships very late and very early," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Now this one, of course, is very different, because I think for most of the season, it was a lot harder for us, and to be honest with you, to still be in this fight is very surprising, but I'll take it, and we need to be perfect.

"But for me, it's just positive pressure. I mean, I'm loving what I'm doing. If the car is competitive, it is much better to be racing in it than when it's not. 

"Every race that you do, I know until the end, we can't afford any bad luck or mistakes, but this team, I think, has shown in the past that normally, we perform really well under pressure, and that's what we'll try to do until the end."