Red Bull reinforce 'no acting' Max Verstappen approach to 'historical comeback'

Red Bull team principal insists there is "no acting" in Max Verstappen's relaxed demeanour at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Dutchman has the chance to clinch his fifth-consecutive F1 drivers' championship at the Yas Marina Circuit, having put together a "historical comeback", in the words of his boss.

After Oscar Piastri's victory at Zandvoort, which opened the second part of the season, Verstappen found himself 104 points adrift of the Australian — and 70 points behind Lando Norris in the second McLaren.

However, the 28-year-old has defied all expectations, weaving together a determined and impressive — even by his high standards — run over the past eight rounds, including five victories and three podiums to pull within 12 points of Norris, who now leads the standings.

His renaissance has been built on the back of a transformative floor update to his RB21 at Monza and improved ways of working under the guidance of new team boss Mekies.

Over the past few weeks, as the title fight has tightened and mistakes have crept in at McLaren, Verstappen has been the personification of cool, calm and collected, arguing he neither gets nervous nor cares about the outcome of the championship, a benefit of his experience and believing he was out of contention after his home grand prix.

When it was put to Mekies that the 70-time grand prix winner appears "incredibly relaxed", the Frenchman confirmed he seems that way because he is.

"He is incredibly relaxed. There is no acting there," the 48-year-old told media, including RacingNews365.

"Honestly, he has been like that — for the little that I've seen of him in the second part of the year — in the bad moments and the positive moments."

Privilege over pressure

With just one race and 25 points left on offer, Verstappen's best hope of stealing the crown from under McLaren and Norris' noses is victory this weekend.

However, that alone will not guarantee him the title. If the British driver finishes on the podium, he will be champion, meaning the outcome is out of his rival's hands.

Therefore, both Red Bull and Verstappen will tackle the last test the same way they have approached every round during the run-in. 

"He is very much... on racing, the approach we have, we take it race by race," Mekies explained.

"We never quite looked at the championship points. We always felt that: you go to a race, you try to get the car to the right window, which is difficult enough.

"In the second part of the year, if we were doing that, it would mean that he would have a chance to fight for the win.

"And then, on Sunday night, you look into each other's eyes, and you know if you are doing a good job or not, and the points are just the consequence."

Mekies emphasised the importance of experiencing the "privilege" that comes with potentially completing a championship recovery that would go into the F1 record books, adding: "And I guess that approach has given both Max and the team the confidence of focusing on the right things and not to feel the pressure, but instead to feel the privilege to be in a historical fight, in a historical comeback."