Max Verstappen offers blunt assessment on F1 title odds

Max Verstappen has placed his odds at winning the F1 title this year at 50 per cent - insisting he will either win it or he won't.

Verstappen has not been considered a serious title protagonist for much of the year, with McLaren enjoying a strong run of form at the front of the field.

Having won 11 out of the 14 races prior to the summer break, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were seen as the main contenders.

But Verstappen's route to victory at the last two rounds in Italy and Azerbaijan respectively have prompted suggestions he could be a late factor.

The Dutchman currently sits 69 points down on championship leader Piastri.

When asked to give odds of winning the title as a percentage, Verstappen told media including RacingNews365: “50% - because I either do or I don’t.

“Nothing to lose, really. As a team, we just approach it like that.

“We try to do the best we can and try to be more competitive, try to hopefully confirm that the direction we took with the car is more competitive, also on a track like this.

“That’s what we hope will happen, and then we'll see what happens from here onward.”

Singapore remains the only venue on the F1 calendar that Verstappen has not yet triumphed at during his F1 career.

Having run into issues at the last high downforce tracks in Hungary and the Netherlands, Verstappen is expecting a stronger showing from Red Bull this time around.

“We were not particularly strong there [in Hungary and the Netherlands], so I hope it's not going to be like that,” he said.

“But I do think with how we run the car, that it will be a bit better, but I don't know how much better.”