Max Verstappen tells McLaren drivers he won’t use one tactic he used against Lewis Hamilton in 2021

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Max Verstappen could take the Formula 1 title fight to the wire for the first time since 2021. But this year, there may be three drivers inside the battle instead of two.

Verstappen won his first championship against Lewis Hamilton with a historic last-lap overtake. Now, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are gunning for their first crown.

In 2021, Verstappen held the lead for all but one weekend between round five and the end of the season. Rather than trying to hold off the driver behind, he’s hunting Piastri and has cut the lead from 104 points to just 40 heading to Mexico.

Going by total race wins, Verstappen is the third most successful driver in F1 history. He’s planning to use that pedigree against the McLaren duo.

Max Verstappen says he won’t play a ‘game’ with McLaren duo

In an interview with De Limburger, journalist Erik van Haren reminded Verstappen of a comment he made about Hamilton four years ago. He claimed that the then Mercedes driver got ‘nervous’ when he saw him in his mirrors.

Members of his camp have admitted that Verstappen played mind games with Hamilton, and this was another example. But he says he doesn’t ‘need to’ do the same this time.

While Hamilton was a seven-time world champion, Piastri and Norris will already be ‘nervous’ because they haven’t lifted the trophy before.

Verstappen said McLaren were favouring Norris in the press conference at the US GP, but did so in jest.

“That’s hard for me to say,” Verstappen replied when asked if he made the McLaren drivers ‘nervous’ too. “Back then, that was kind of the game I played. Will I do that again? I don’t need to.

“Back then, I’d never won a world title. And now I have a few, and they haven’t. And you’re inherently more nervous at this stage if you haven’t become world champion yet than if you have those titles.”

‘I’m not going to sit in a corner and cry’ – Max Verstappen on title stakes

David Croft told Red Bull to ‘grow up’ after they tried to remove Norris’ grid tape in Austin. This has been a recurring theme but Laurent Mekies says they’ll no longer do it.

Even if Verstappen isn’t actively trying to get under the skin of his rivals, Red Bull have embraced gamesmanship.

The Dutchman feels he has nothing to lose as he targets an ‘incredible’ comeback – surely the best in F1 history. He says even staying in the race with five rounds to go is a ‘victory’.

Verstappen said: “It’s fine to put a little pressure on, right? My mentality remains the same, and I know everything has to be perfect until the very end. We’re going to try. If we make it, it’ll be incredible. If not, well, no. I’m not going to sit in a corner and cry.

“You have to analyse what went wrong. That’s very clear: the first fourteen races of this season have been that. But the fact that we’re still in the race is very special, and actually a victory in itself.”