Max Verstappen can win his fourth consecutive F1 championship if he is able to maintain his 52-point lead from second-placed Lando Norris in the standings, with six races remaining in the season. Despite Verstappen having the lead, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button believes that the decline of the RB20’s competitiveness means that the Dutchman is not in an “easy position” to win his fourth title.
On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Matt Baker discussed the three-time world champion’s defensive mentality of late. As per him, Verstappen seems pessimistic at the moment and fears that Red Bull may not win any more races for the rest of this campaign.
In reply, Button said that while it is not Verstappen’s trait to be “cautious” in his approach, the car’s lack of pace will definitely be playing on his mind. The former F1 champion believes uncertainty eats into a driver’s mental space amid a championship battle.
The points gap between Max and Lando is at 52, only one less than it was back in Miami #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/haXgWpjNdI
— Autosport (@autosport) September 23, 2024
Button feels the upcoming US GP at the Circuit of the Americas could give further insight into how aggressive or defensive Verstappen is with his championship defense in mind. Since the turn-one hairpin at COTA can often lead to collisions and crashes, the Dutchman will be wary of not picking up damage and may opt to be cautious at the start.
Button highlighted how even he faced a similar mental battle back in 2009, the year he won his maiden and only F1 title. Button’s championship season, in fact, had an eerily similar storyline to Verstappen’s 2024 campaign. Back then, he started with a strong Brawn GP car that helped him establish a strong lead in the championship.
But later on in the season, his car advantage faded away as rivals like Red Bull caught up. As a result, Button had to scrape through to the 2009 title in the final few races.
“It’s kinda the same situation for Max. I think he can probably handle the pressure a bit better than I could back then, but still, it’s not an easy position to be in”, the Briton said.
Verstappen faces a similar situation with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who is chasing him down with a faster package.
Verstappen needs Red Bull to improve the RB20
Red Bull have revealed that they will be bringing an upgrade package to the US GP to iron out the RB20’s balance and handling issues. Still, there is no guarantee as to what extent can the Austrian outfit improve their car to help Verstappen’s championship hopes.
The Dutchman has still maximized the car’s limited performance during the European leg of the season by winning two races. Amid Norris’ multiple missed opportunities, Verstappen has ensured to minimize damage to his points advantage in the standings.
Staying true to form
The world champion has been keeping his numbers up throughout the season, especially in the Sprint races! #F1 pic.twitter.com/7xfjz5VnDz
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 14, 2024
Ideally, he would like a better drivable car in Austin. However, even if Red Bull fail to provide him with that, the 27-year-old can hold his own to keep Norris at bay.
As things stand, Verstappen only needs to finish second in every remaining Grand Prix and sprint race to secure his fourth consecutive championship. Then, it doesn’t matter if Norris wins all of those races — which again is unlikely as the Briton has himself been very inconsistent this season.
Despite having the fastest car since the Canadian GP, Norris has won only two races and dropped multiple chances to reduce Verstappen’s championship lead. So, Verstappen likely still has the edge in the title race.
