Verstappen: “He’s definitely not a second driver, and if I were him, I wouldn’t accept it”

For months now, the battle for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships has been decided between Red Bull and McLaren. They are in completely different situations, the Austrian team has Max Verstappenpossibly the most deserving driver on the entire grid. While the British team has the best pairing on the grid this season (Norris and Piastre). Both added a total of 516 points, 31 points above Red Bull (475), which is 34 points above third place, Ferrari (441).

On the other hand McLaren tried to maintain an even approach towards his two pilots, the growing awareness that Norris He still has a chance of winning his first world title, leading the British team to decide last month to give him priority whenever the track situation justifies it. This decision eliminated a problem in the GP of monzawhere Norris He was running third behind his teammate Piastrepositions where they cross the finish line. From McLaren They have always said that they will not ask the Australian to give up his position and give up winning races to favor Norris.

besides Norris He has declared that he doesn’t want the championship to be handed to him on a plate: “I don’t want to be given a championship either. Yes, it’s nice if you win, and in the short term you feel incredible, but I don’t think that in the long time you will be proud of it. “I want to win by beating Max, my competitors, and proving that I’m the best on the track.”

Max Verstappen He was asked about his opinion of his rival team’s work McLaren and in turn Oscar Piastri; “For me, definitely not a [piloto número dos]and if I were his I would never accept it,” he declared. Verstappen looking at’MotorSport‘. “It is easy for me to speak, of course, because I have been in Formula 1 for 10 years and this is only the second season of Oscar Piastroso it’s always harder. But he is a good driver who does not deserve to give up victories and positions, and play a secondary role because they ask him.”

Verstappen highlighted McLaren for its rapid development over the past 18 months and praised its drivers, who proved to be a formidable pair. When asked if the duo is the best lineup among the competitors of Red Bullreply: “Yes, because they are very close and because they are both fast”concluded the Dutchman. “McLaren has put the right people in the right positions, including those who are already part of the team. Not all the staff are new, except for a few, like Robert Marshall [ex diseñador de Red Bull]. However, some members have been assigned new roles, and you can see how quickly this affects the performance,” concluded the pilot. Grid bull.