Max Verstappen urges 'historic title fights' be left in the past

Verstappen in Mexico — Photo: © LAT Images

Max Verstappen

Verstappen urges 'historic title fights' be left in the past

Toto Wolff believes the 2021 championship could be decided through contact

Sam Hall & Ian Parkes

Friday 5 November 2021 08:15

Max Verstappen has dismissed comments from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff predicting a Senna-Prost style championship-deciding crash with Lewis Hamilton.

In both 1989 and '90, the F1 championship was decided by contact between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Michael Schumacher was also twice involved in similar controversial moments in 1994 with Damon Hill and in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve.

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But after Wolff predicted the potential for another flashpoint between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen should this year's title race go to the wire, the Dutchman stated such incidents should be left in the past.

“I don’t really think about previous historic fights between two drivers, what they have done," said Verstappen.

"That is the past and I just focus on what I have to do on track, of course, and that is to try and do the best I can.

“That is how, at the end of the day, you are going to win the championship. To try to get the most available points out there and of course, try to beat your rival.”

Verstappen confident of staying calm under pressure from Hamilton

Verstappen is currently fighting for his first F1 title, with the Red Bull driver heading into this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix with a 12-point lead over Mercedes rival Hamilton.

Asked how he keeps calm under such pressure, he replied: “I like what I am doing so that takes the pressure off.

"It’s not the first time I’ve been in a championship fight. Yes, it’s the first time in Formula 1 but not in my life.

"At the end of the day that doesn’t really change because you need to win and that is what I have been doing in the past so I just need to do the same here.

“Like I have said already at previous races, when the car is capable of winning, I will win. If the car is not capable of winning, I will not win."