Max Verstappen Cool On F1 Championship Hopes In Las Vegas

Max Verstappen played down his prospects of clinching a fourth consecutive drivers' world championship at this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver, who claimed a spectacular victory in the rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix three weeks ago, said that triumph had not proved that all his problems were over after a winless 10-race run. Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas, he said it was not certain that he would win again to take the 2024 title.

"At the moment, it's difficult to tell because if you look at the last few races in the dry of course we didn't have the pace... It's not that, because we won in the rain in Brazil, suddenly everything is fixed and everything is looking great again.

"Of course, it gave me a good position in the championship, but also I have to be realistic that we are not the quickest.

"I hope that we can be competitive here. It's still very unknown with the track temperatures, of course, and like last year very cold."

The Dutchman leads McLaren's Lando Norris by 62 points in the title race with three Grands Prix remaining - and 60 points available at the final two races.

This leaves Norris needing to beat Verstappen by three points in Las Vegas to keep his title challenge alive.

"For me, the pressure is from me because I want to do well always, every single weekend," said Verstappen. "And it is not necessarily about the championship.

"I am just trying to enjoy the weekend as well and to see. How competitive we can be. It is not decided yet so there are still points that we need to be scored.

"Really, it is about how quick I am and how good the car is more than anything else.

"In the last few races, McLaren has been the quickest but last year, Ferrari was very fast here and it can be