Verstappen’s key ingredient is his head, Vettel says

Sebastian Vettel says the key to Max Verstappen still being a factor in the drivers’ championship is his ability to deliver in high-pressure situations and rarely making a mistake.

Verstappen arrives at the Qatar Grand Prix within a race win of the drivers’ championship lead, having won in Las Vegas while both McLaren drivers were disqualified. The Dutchman was over 100 points adrift of then-leader Oscar Piastri just seven races ago but Vettel believes a central component of Verstappen’s fightback is his ability to maximize his performance as often as possible.

“I think the scary thing is he’s getting better,” Vettel (pictured at left, above, with Verstappen) told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “We know he’s good, but he’s still improving, he’s still hungry, he’s still willing to learn. I think he’s working very hard behind the scenes as well, and that’s what makes him so strong.

“Of course I think he’s blessed with a lot of talent on top of that, but even if he’s one of the most talented drivers on the grid, I think ultimately what makes him so strong, it’s always a combination, but the key ingredient is his head.

“I think in the situations where it matters, he keeps his head and hardly ever makes a mistake, delivers when he needs to. Feels the pressure, we all do – I don’t think it’s possible [that] you don’t feel the pressure – but he’s able to find a space in his head when he’s able to put that to a side and focus on what matters.”

Given how far back Verstappen has come from, and with four consecutive titles behind him, Vettel believes the Red Bull driver will be the most relaxed of the three title contenders heading into the final two races of the season.

“Right now, yes [he’ll be feeling the pressure less],” Vettel said before the gap closed further in Las Vegas. “Also because he’s won the championships. Not a lot of people won that many championships but I’ve been lucky to say that I’ve won a couple, and I think the biggest relief for me came with the first one. A bit like the first win, it’s like, ‘Wow, I can do this’ and obviously after the first win it’s clear more than ever you want to win a championship.

“So he doesn’t need to prove to himself that he can win a championship. Plus in the position that he’s in right now, being in the hunt, it’s like, ‘OK just got to do everything perfectly, and if it works it works, if it doesn’t then it doesn’t’”