Verstappen: "No reason to believe" in F1 title right now
Max Verstappen believes there is "no reason to believe" in the Formula 1 title at the moment after suffering two retirements in the first three races of the season.
Verstappen was forced out of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after a fuel system issue emerged on his Red Bull car, denying him a likely second-place finish.
A similar story played out in the Bahrain season-opener when a separate fuel pump problem meant Verstappen had to retire in the closing stages, costing him another 18 points.
The setbacks mean Verstappen now lies 46 points off runaway championship leader Charles Leclerc after the opening three races of the season, denting his hopes of defending his maiden F1 crown from 2021.
Verstappen acknowledged it was still a long season with 20 races remaining and joked he thought “we need 45 races”, but said Red Bull had to find more pace to get ahead of Ferrari.
“Being already so far down in the championship, I think it's 46 points, from now on we need to be ahead,” Verstappen said.
“We need to quicker, which we are not at the moment. And we need to be reliable, which we are also not. So there's a lot of things to work on.”
Asked what chance he had of the title this year, Verstappen replied: “I don't even think about it. At the moment, there is no reason to believe in it.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, retires from the race and a marshal assists with a fire
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Verstappen lies sixth in the drivers’ championship after three races with 25 points, all of which were scored with his victory in the Saudi Arabian GP after a race-long battle with Leclerc.
Leclerc’s overall lead stands at 34 points over Mercedes’ George Russell in second place.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was reluctant to dwell on the damage the retirements had done to Verstappen’s title hopes.
“We’re only just over 10% of the way into the championship,” he said. “So I think there’s still a huge amount to go. The encouraging thing is we’ve got the basis of a quick car.”
Horner also expressed his confidence Verstappen would bounce back from the disappointment of the Australia DNF.
“He’s obviously frustrated when he initially got out of the car, but he knows we’re all in it together as a team,” Horner said.
“We’ll bounce back. I’m sure he’ll be coming back strong at Imola.”
Related video
Top five American F1 teams ranked: Haas, Penske and more
The Verstappen path Leclerc seems to be following in F1 2022
Las Vegas approves plan to shut Strip for F1 race until 2032
Officials in Las Vegas have approved a plan to shut the Strip for the Formula 1 grand prix for the next 10 years as they eye a “lifetime in partnership.”
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.