San Francisco Frontiers - Relaxed Verstappen set for another title showdown

The four-time champion admitted that he did not expect to win but had made the most of another mistake by McLaren and his main rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri thanks to a key strategic decision.

It came on lap seven when a safety car was deployed and he was called immediately into the pits while McLaren hesitated and chose to stay out without pitting – the only team to do so in a race where two stops were mandatory.

"I didn't expect to win, for sure," explained the 28-year-old Dutchman.

"On pure pace, we are not at the same level as them (McLaren) but we made the right call and it gave us almost a free pit stop and it made the race for me.

"It meant two long stints but we managed the tyres well and they caught up, but not too much. And that decision won me the race today!"

Asked if he believed it was another one of the errors that he had previously said were helping him to stay in the championship fight, Verstappen said: "Another one?... Yes."

"They missed the whole opportunity. On pace, they are faster, but today showed that anything is possible and, with a positive mindset, we will go to Abu Dhabi and do our best and try to win."

Without that strategy blunder Piastri seemed on course to complete a clean sweep for the weekend after dominating every session and winning Saturday's sprint race.

Verstappen won ahead of Piastri with Williams' Carlos Sainz finishing third and Norris fourth.

As a result, Norris heads to the season-ending showdown in the desert at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 408 points ahead of Verstappen on 396 and Piastri on 392.

Norris can clinch the title by claiming his 18th podium finish of the season while Verstappen needs to win with the Briton off the podium if he is to snatch it from his grasp.

"It's all possible now, isn’t it?” he said. "We'll see. I don’t worry about it too much."

Verstappen has won four times in Abu Dhabi in the last five years, including a controversial triumph against seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021, but Norris won last year for McLaren.

The Dutchman's experience and nerveless laid-back approach is expected to give him an edge this week as McLaren regroup and review their tactical error at the Lusail International Circuit.

Having been 104 points off the title lead at the end of August following the Dutch Grand Prix, won by Piastri, Verstappen wrote off his own title hopes and then responded with a run of podiums including five wins to overhaul Piastri.

"We just try to do our best and work hard and we try to win," he said.

"I don’t worry about it and I don't worry about anything much really. I try to win and I couldn't really care less about the rest of it."

X.Roberts--SFF