Verstappen says pressure is off for three-way Abu Dhabi finale

Max Verstappen is fired up to go to Abu Dhabi and compete for his fifth F1 world championship after the Dutchman won in Qatar, narrowed the gap to 12 points within the championship leader, Lando Norris, and overtook Oscar Piastri to set up a three-way season-deciding finale at the Yas Marina circuit.

- Giles Richards

Verstappen produced a superb drive for Red Bull in Lusail on Sunday but it was a victory handed to him by McLaren, who made a calamitous strategy call for Norris and Piastri.

In choosing not to pit their drivers under an early safety car when the rest of the field did so, they lost a free stop and gave the lead to Verstappen who seized his chance and powered to the flag. With Piastri second and Norris only fourth, it has brought the Dutch driver right into the title fight for the last round. He is second behind Norris but ahead of Piastri, a position he considered unthinkable halfway through the season.

“I’m excited, I’m happy to go there and have a go at it,” he said. “I go in there with just positive energy. I try everything I can but at the same time, if I don’t win it, I still know that I had an amazing season. So, it doesn’t really matter. It takes a lot of the pressure off. I’m just out there having a good time like I had on Sunday.