Photo: Race Pictures

Verstappen prompts Abu Dhabi GP title fight bet from F1 team boss

18:30, 03 Dec

byNorberto Mujica

Max Verstappen slashed the gap in the championship standings down to 12 points ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP season finale.

“I think the last five, six races you guys have been asking me if he's still capable of winning the championship. I haven't heard what McLaren had to say today."

- Jonathan Wheatley.

Max Verstappen goes into Abu Dhabi facing a 12 points deficit in the title fight. Photo: RacePictures.

And there are those who believe that the Dutch driver, despite entering the last round of the season not in complete control of his fate - at the mercy of Lando Norris’ result - holds the best cards to take his fifth consecutive Drivers’ crown this weekend at Yas Marina, like Sauber team principal - and former Red Bull Sporting Director - Jonathan Wheatley.

“I think the last five, six races you guys have been asking me if he's still capable of winning the championship. I haven't heard what McLaren had to say today,” Wheatley told GPblog after the race in Qatar, before weighing in on the Woking-based team’s pit stop miss and Verstappen’s current form.

“They looked pretty bad from where we were,” he said. “It's always difficult in a strategy, making those decisions.

“But I mean we just talk about Max and another flawless race. Yeah, a championship, well you're not going to get bored going into the next race because there's a proper three way championship fight.”

Wheatley bets on Max

As one of Red Bull’s former píllars across the championship winning years of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Wheatley is confident that the Austrian team’s baseline - something he hopes Audi can build for themselves - will see them fight tooth and nail to defend the Dutchman’s crown. Although he did admit that McLaren has a platform of a similar magnitude as well.

“There's strength and depth throughout the team there,” he continued. “That's our ambition [at Audi]. Our ambition is to end up with a team with that level of strength and depth that McLaren, Red Bull, Ferraris and Mercedes have from years and years of competing at the highest level.

“So no, they're not going to crumble and neither will McLaren. It's impressive, it's going to be exciting and I hope that I can enjoy it from the pit wall next race.”

However, Wheatley doesn’t hesitate to put his money on his former team’s lead driver when asked who he’d bet on. “Max,” a resolute Wheatley concluded.

A McLaren 'public enemy' backs Verstappen's bold title claim

Alex Palou, who is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the McLaren F1 team said Max Verstappen would have clinched the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship “weeks ago, two months ago” if he had driven the MCL39 this season. Read his full statements here.

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