With two rounds and a Sprint remaining, Verstappen arrives in Qatar just 24 points behind Norris and level with Piastri after his Las Vegas win and McLaren’s double disqualification.

Norris can seal the title this weekend if he outscores both rivals by two points, but McLaren has opted to let its drivers race freely despite pressure to protect its championship lead.

Verstappen said that call is “perfect” for his own championship bid and insisted he would never accept a team-order scenario in Piastri’s position.

“You can’t do a better job than allowing them to race as well, because why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn’t be allowed anymore?” he said in Qatar.

“If that was said to me I would have not rocked up. I would have told them to ‘F off’.”

He added that no driver should willingly accept being labelled a support act.

“If you’re a real winner in a race, as a driver, then you go for it – even if you’re behind,” he said.

 

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“What’s the point otherwise to turning up? Otherwise you can easily just label yourself as a number two driver which I think he doesn’t want to be.

“Then for me, I know that I’m equal on points with Oscar. I think it should be like that, that they are free to race and hopefully we can make it a great battle until the end.”

Verstappen’s position is strengthened by his form since the summer break, collecting four wins, two second places and two thirds, along with a Sprint victory.

The run has dragged him back into contention for a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship — a scenario he admits seemed unlikely earlier in the year.

“Something that I definitely wouldn’t have expected but here we are,” he said.

“I think we have had a very strong end to the season, much more happy with that and [I] guess also we’ve been helped a little bit with certain things.

“Results, crashes, disqualifications. We should not forget that I guess but I’m happy.”

The Dutchman also flagged the significance of the Vegas disqualifications, which slashed the potential gap to Norris and kept the championship alive.

“When it’s too low, it’s too low,” he said of McLaren’s plank infringement.

“Of course the gap closed a bit with that but still 24 points. A lot needs to go well until the end to have a chance, but it’s definitely a better chance than what it was before that.”

Despite the obstacles, Verstappen insists nothing changes in how he approaches the run-in.

“We go all in. We have nothing to lose,” he said.