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As the Formula 1 world gears up for the commencement of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Oscar Piastri hasn't ruled out Max Verstappen from the Drivers’ Championship fight. The 24-year-old stressed that the Red Bull Racing driver is still well in contention for the crown despite currently trailing behind.
The McLaren driver leads the Drivers’ Championship ahead of teammate Lando Norris, addressed the media to share his thoughts about the title battle. Piastri emphasized that Max Verstappen will always be a strong competitor. Quoted by user @JunaidSamodien_ on X, he stated:
"I don't think you can ever write Max off. The points gap is much bigger now, but I think he will always be a very strong competitor."
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The words of the former Alpine F1 Academy star mirror those of teammate Norris, who also acknowledged that the Red Bull driver cannot be ruled out of the championship fight.
"He's still fighting for the championship. He still wants to try to win every race he can. If anything, he will fight even harder,” Norris said.
Max Verstappen currently sits 49 points behind Piastri in the championship standings. The Dutch driver is also facing a looming race ban following his clash with George Russell in the final laps of the Spanish Grand Prix—where he was handed a 10-second penalty along with three further penalty points.
The four-time Formula 1 champion, who is currently third in the standings, will be hoping to mount a comeback with a strong performance at the upcoming Montreal race.
Max Verstappen shared his thoughts about his championship fight
Max Verstappen previously aired his thoughts on the possibility of winning the Drivers’ Championship following the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix. The 27-year-old downplayed the possibility of putting up a fight, citing inconsistency within the Red Bull team.
Despite winning two races through the first nine of the season so far, the Dutch driver was quick to rule himself out of any title fight. Sharing his thoughts after the conclusion of the Barcelona event, as quoted by Crash.net, he stated:
“For me it doesn’t really feel like a fight, to be honest. I just try to do my best, have a bit of fun out there. It’s not like this season up until this point is going to be in my memory forever.”
Verstappen, however, opted to focus on the improvements the Red Bull team has continued to make throughout the season.
“I am more excited if I know that we’re going to be super quick. That’s the most exciting. I always try to do my best, but this year, so far, we’ve had some real positives but also some real negatives, where in some races we’re really off the pace — which isn’t enjoyable.”
Max Verstappen remains the only driver besides the McLaren duo to secure a race victory this season. The Red Bull star recorded a win at the Suzuka Circuit before adding a second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Verstappen will now shift focus to the possibility of clinching victory at the Canadian Grand Prix—a race he has won for the last three seasons.
