Max Verstappen’s “it’s been tough” admission as he nears fourth F1 title

Max Verstappen has conceded “it’s been tough” for Red Bull amid their 10-race winless run as he moved to within touching distance of his fourth F1 drivers’ title.

Verstappen delivered a masterclass at the F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, winning from 17th on the grid in wet conditions.

It was a race where Verstappen’s lead in the championship was under serious threat with Lando Norris starting on pole position.

However, the McLaren driver lost the lead into the first corner before a series of errors dropped him to sixth.

It’s Verstappen’s first win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June - his longest period without a victory since 2020.

Speaking in the FIA press conference, Verstappen reflected on Red Bull’s recent struggles.

“Yeah, well, I mean, of course, that was important,” he said. “I wanted to, of course, win a bit sooner. But yeah, it's been tough for us.

“We always kept pushing. We didn't really understand why the others were so fast in the race, especially. Yeah, I've been trying a lot of things to improve the car.

“And I mean, starting P17 this morning, didn't look like we were going to win the race again. So yeah, it's an incredible result for us. A massive boost for the team, because honestly, it's been tough.

“But it is also a big strength of the team to stay calm and just try to work on performance and try to improve our situation. And I'm confident. I'm confident for the last three races that we can fight again, and especially in the race that we will be more competitive.”

Verstappen can now win his fourth F1 drivers’ title next time out in Las Vegas.

To do so, he must simply finish ahead of Norris in Vegas to take the title.

He can afford to finish sixth at each of the remaining rounds to take the crown as well.

Looking ahead to the final three rounds of the year, Verstappen just wants “clean races”.

“I mean, this was now, of course, looking at it, it was incredibly important because in a way I was expecting to lose points today,” he added.

“So from now, I just want clean races to the end. I'm not thinking about clinching the championship in Vegas or whatever. I just want clean races.”