Max Verstappen has revealed that "bad luck" is the biggest thing which could derail his pursuit of a record-equalling fifth consecutive drivers' title.
Despite having found himself 104 points behind Oscar Piastri after the Dutch GP, Verstappen has gotten himself into title contention following the introduction of a new Red Bull floor in Monza.
Since receiving the new floor at the Italian GP, the four-time world champion has won three of the last four races and has not finished behind a McLaren in either qualifying or a race.
At the same time, the McLarens have collided on multiple occasions in recent races, as recently as the US GP Sprint where both papaya cars crashed out.
Verstappen's hot form and the mistakes being made by Piastri and Norris has let the Dutchman into the title fight, with him sitting just 40 points adrift going into the Mexico City Grand Prix.
However, one bad result or a stroke of bad luck is all it would take to likely end Verstappen's title chances, something he is avoiding thinking about.
Asked on The Inside Track podcast what the biggest thing that could stop him is, Verstappen answered: "Bad luck. Yeah, bad luck.
"You can have a crash, you can get hit, can have a puncture, you can have an untimely safety car.
"You can get sick, you can slip in the shower, you break your leg. Well, anything can happen, right? So I don't know. I just, I don't want to think about it too much.
"I just come here, and I hope that we can have a strong weekend here again, which, of course, will help for the championship."
Viewed by others:
Verstappen facing no pressure
Verstappen being the chaser in the title fight is a position he has not experienced in his F1 career, with the exception of the final laps of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.
The 28-year-old is used to leading the championship, rather than needing to claw a significant number of points back. Despite this, it is a situation which has seen Verstappen thrive.
"I always said that if we win it, great, right? It's always great to add another title, but at the same time, I don't need to, in a sense, so that takes a lot of pressure away.
"But I also know for myself that when I sit in the car, I will always maximise everything that I have."
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!