Championship leader Max Verstappen has played down the chances of him sealing the title this weekend here at the Marina Bay Circuit.
Though he has a mathematical chance to win the crown, the reigning champion said he is not too focused on it, calling it a long shot. “I don’t think about it and I just want to enjoy the week and of course win it. But I need a lot of luck and I don’t count on it,” said Verstappen ahead of the Singapore GP.
More realistic
Even if he wins and takes a point for the fastest lap, whether he seals the title or not will depend on where his rivals finish and the driver admitted next week in Japan is a more realistic target. “I think (Suzuka will be) my first proper opportunity to win the title. I’m looking forward to Singapore right now, but I’m also very excited for next week,” he added.
Speaking about a memorable season, Verstappen said, “I have been enjoying it but I will enjoy it more after the season. What we’ve been doing as a team in general, after the difficulties we had at the beginning of the year, to then turn it around, really worked on the car. It was heavily overweight and making sure that it’s in a competitive window now is great.”
When asked if he felt it would have been better if Ferrari had been more competitive, the Dutch driver said, “[There are] two sides to it. Yes, in one way, I would have loved them to still be in the fight. But from my side, it is nice to win it in a more calm way. What is good to see is, they are competitive this year compared to the last three years and that is what F1 needed.”
