Jenson Button has heard that Max Verstappen has made bleak 2024 Red Bull prediction ‘in his head’

Follow us on Google Discover

Max Verstappen will be driving an upgraded Red Bull when the Formula 1 season resumes at the United States Grand Prix this weekend. Verstappen is trying to defend a 52-point lead over Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ standings.

Red Bull have introduced ‘magical’ updates for the race in Austin. It’s their last realistic hope of preventing McLaren, now 41 points ahead, from taking the constructors’ championship.

Norris requires one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history to win the title from here. One more victory for Verstappen could be enough to end any doubt.

However, the Dutchman hasn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. He arrives in Texas in the midst of an eight-race drought where he’s only scored three podiums.

This kind of run was simply unthinkable at the start of the year. Between March 2022 and December 2023, Verstappen had won 34 out of 44 races, and he extended that run to 41 out of 54 in Barcelona.

But Red Bull’s missteps, combined with McLaren’s remarkable progress, have completely changed the landscape. Verstappen has been in damage limitation mode for months, trying to preserve his lead with little hope of extending it.

Max Verstappen doesn’t expect to win any more races this year, Jenson Button says

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Jenson Button relayed Verstappen’s pessimistic mindset heading into the two triple-headers. He fears that he won’t win any more races in 2024, extending his barren run to 14.

That may still be enough to win the championship. If he finishes second behind Norris at every event and the McLaren driver sweeps the fastest laps, he’ll still be one point ahead.

But Oscar Piastri is fast enough to bump Verstappen down a place, and Ferrari and Mercedes could both be a factor too. For instance, Carlos Sainz thinks Ferrari can win in Las Vegas next month.

Button has cautioned Verstappen against putting too much ‘pressure’ on himself. Entering survival mode could be counterintuitive.

The 2009 world champion said: “This is a tricky situation. He’s already got it in his head, from what I hear, that he’s not going to win another race this year. So he’s in a position where he’s just got to come home, bring points. But sometimes when you put that pressure on yourself, it’s even harder to get a podium.”

Helmut Marko frustrated by the ‘complete misjudgement’ that cost Max Verstappen

Damon Hill expects Norris to win the US Grand Prix, with Verstappen second and Lewis Hamilton third. The outcome of Saturday’s Sprint race, the first of three before the end of the season, will also be key.

Verstappen won the first three Sprints of the year, rallying from fourth on the grid in China before edging Charles Leclerc in Miami. He then prevailed after a close battle with the two McLaren drivers in Austria.

There will be an added edge to any victory scrap between the two drivers at this late stage of the season. Martin Brundle says Norris underestimated Verstappen’s aggression at the Red Bull Ring before they collided.

The reigning champion will feel his title shouldn’t be in jeopardy. While their upgrade packages have underdelivered, Helmut Marko has also rued Red Bull’s on-track mistakes, including a ‘complete misjudgement’ on set-up that allowed Norris to comfortably win Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands.