Verstappen dismisses F1 pressure with 'enjoy the moment' stance

Max Verstappen insists he does not feel more pressure to win the 2024 F1 drivers' championship than he has in previous years.

Instead, the Dutchman is focused on enjoying the moment of a title fight that looks all but decided at this late stage of the campaign.

He leads Lando Norris by 62 points with three rounds of the season remaining, has not been as closely pushed for the title since his first crown in 2021, despite the comfortable advantage he holds over the McLaren driver.

The gap was down to 44 points following the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint, but a sublime drive from P17 on the grid in the main race saw Verstappen take victory in tricky conditions at Interlagos, essentially pushing the championship out of Norris' reach.

With the paddock heading to Nevada for the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen can clinch the crown by finishing ahead of Norris in any order or if the British driver fails to score more than two points as the Red Bull driver does not add to his tally.

Even if the cards do not fall in Verstappen's favour, he is well positioned to win the title during the Qatar Grand Prix sprint the following weekend, for the second year in a row.

So, barring a considerable swing of bad luck or misfortune, the 62-time grand prix winner will emulate Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull achievements and become just the fifth driver in F1 history to secure at least four-consecutive drivers' titles.

Whilst Verstappen has not won a grand prix in dry conditions since June, when he triumphed in Spain, the three-time drivers' champion maintains the situation feels no more intense than normal, despite the waning performance of the RB20 compared to its rivals.

"No, not really," the 27-year-old told media including RacingNews365 when asked whether the regressing performance of the Red Bull means he feels more pressure to win the championship than usual. "[I] just try to do the best I can.

"Of course, we want to win. We want to do well, but of course, it also needs to be possible.

"We have a good lead. So from my side, [I] just try to enjoy the moment. Try to just always optimise the performance."