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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMax Verstappen has had his say on McLaren asking Oscar Piastri to possibly support Lando Norris in the championship battle. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMax Verstappen has had his say on McLaren asking Oscar Piastri to possibly support Lando Norris in the championship battle. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
With two rounds and a Sprint remaining, Verstappen arrives in Qatar just 24 points behind Norris and level with Piastri after his Las Vegas win and McLaren\u2019s double disqualification<\/a>.<\/p>\n Norris can seal the title this weekend<\/a> if he outscores both rivals by two points, but McLaren has opted to let its drivers race freely despite pressure to protect its championship lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verstappen said that call is \u201cperfect\u201d for his own championship bid and insisted he would never accept a team-order scenario in Piastri\u2019s position.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t do a better job than allowing them to race as well, because why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn\u2019t be allowed anymore?\u201d he said in Qatar.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that was said to me I would have not rocked up. I would have told them to \u2018F off\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that no driver should willingly accept being labelled a support act.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a real winner in a race, as a driver, then you go for it \u2013 even if you\u2019re behind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the point otherwise to turning up? Otherwise you can easily just label yourself as a number two driver which I think he doesn\u2019t want to be.<\/p>\n \u201cThen for me, I know that I\u2019m equal on points with Oscar. I think it should be like that, that they are free to race and hopefully we can make it a great battle until the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s position is strengthened by his form since the summer break, collecting four wins, two second places and two thirds, along with a Sprint victory.<\/p>\n The run has dragged him back into contention for a fifth consecutive drivers\u2019 championship \u2014 a scenario he admits seemed unlikely earlier in the year.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething that I definitely wouldn\u2019t have expected but here we are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have had a very strong end to the season, much more happy with that and [I] guess also we\u2019ve been helped a little bit with certain things.<\/p>\n \u201cResults, crashes, disqualifications. We should not forget that I guess but I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dutchman also flagged the significance of the Vegas disqualifications, which slashed the potential gap to Norris and kept the championship alive.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it\u2019s too low, it\u2019s too low,\u201d he said of McLaren\u2019s plank infringement.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course the gap closed a bit with that but still 24 points. A lot needs to go well until the end to have a chance, but it\u2019s definitely a better chance than what it was before that.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the obstacles, Verstappen insists nothing changes in how he approaches the run-in.<\/p>\n \u201cWe go all in. We have nothing to lose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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