Copyright GIVEMESPORT
The British media were seriously impressed by Max Verstappen's bold claim after his dominant win at the United States Grand Prix this past weekend. The Dutch driver led every lap to take another notable chunk out of Oscar Piastri's Formula One championship lead. It was a perfect weekend for Verstappen and Red Bull, as he also won the Saturday Sprint from pole position, while the McLarens collided and retired at the first corner. Piastri finished fifth, with teammate and closest rival Lando Norris finishing second after passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc just five laps before the chequered flag. "For sure, the chance is there," Verstappen said of the title battle. "We just need to try and deliver these weekends until the end. We will try and do whatever we can. It's exciting." Media React to Max Verstappen's US Win The 'chance is there' quote stood out to British journalists who were in attendance at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin over the weekend. The BBC reflected on his recent resurgence, writing: “Even when Verstappen started winning races in September, the points gap to the McLaren drivers was so big that the four-time champion refused to entertain the idea in public, even if he might have been thinking about it in private. He was taking it race by race, he said, and not thinking about the championship. "After a race weekend in which Verstappen took pole and victory in both the Sprint and Grand Prix itself, he could have said it again. He might even have been expected to. But the belief in him now was almost palpable." The feeling among Red Bull Racing employees appears to be more forward-looking as a whole. The mid-season exile of Christian Horner and issues with the car seem to be an afterthought. The Guardian wrote: “The disillusioned and dissatisfied driver who felt his title defence was long over has, against all the odds and indeed his own expectations, restaked his claim as a genuine contender in a deliciously tight Formula One world championship battle. "Little wonder there were smiles, Verstappen knows he is back in the fight." Sky Sports highlighted how Piastri's recent drop in form has added to Verstappen's confidence. They said: “Piastri had appeared on course for a maiden title when his Dutch Grand Prix victory at the end of August took him 34 points clear of Norris, but the 24-year-old Australian has finished behind both his nearest challengers at all four races since, with uncharacteristic errors compounding a general drop-off in pace.” Meanwhile, the Daily Mail referenced Verstappen's greater experience when it comes to these crunch moments, writing: “It [turn 1] is where the two McLarens of Norris and Piastri collided on Saturday in a Sprint Race that again betrayed the nerves afflicting them. Front-running in the championship is not easy and neither man, aged 24 and 25 respectively, has experienced the hard-earned privilege before. “That corner is also where, a year ago, Norris afforded Verstappen the freedom of the Lone Star State and was passed. The exchange was an emblem of the fact one of them was as tough as teak in wheel-to-wheel action, the other a touch more squeamish, or, to be fair, not so preternaturally aware of the geometry of close combat. At 28, he is the battle-hardened warrior.”
