Toto Wolff: Max Verstappen has “psychological advantage” over McLaren in F1 title race

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen being the “underdog” in this year’s F1 title race gives him a “psychological advantage” over McLaren.

Verstappen stormed to his third win in four races to move within 40 points of Oscar Piastri at the top of the F1 drivers’ championship.

Since Monza, Verstappen has reduced Piastri’s lead by over 60 points, moving into unlikely title contention.

The title race remains in Piastri’s hands, as he can afford to finish second to Verstappen in every remaining race and still be champion. 

However, the momentum is clearly with Verstappen amid Red Bull’s late resurgence.

Giving his perspective on the championship battle, Wolff said: “I’ve been in a similar situation with two drivers fighting for a championship, and the threat of another one catching back in the day was Max, I believe, and then it was Sebastian [Vettel] in that hunt.

“So the underdog always has a little bit of an easier psychological advantage because of the probability.

“The odds are definitely against Max. If you look at the probability that’s very low, one DNS can change everything, and I think that affects the driving also.

“How aggressive can you actually go for an overtake? You can see with Lando today, he’s done it at the end but it was tricky at times to decide whether you keep your nose, put your nose in, or not.”

Verstappen “as good as he gets as a driver”

A fifth F1 title for Verstappen would be one of the sport’s greatest triumphs.

The Red Bull driver finished a distant ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix back in July. 

Since then, Red Bull have transformed the RB21 with a series of upgrades.

Verstappen continues to perform at the peak of his powers, delivering excellent performances at every race weekend. 

Wolff praised Verstappen for his run of form, stating: “he’s as good as he gets as a driver”. 

“I think Max is great but I wouldn’t be able to say whether any other driver [could],” he said.

“They’ve just turned the car out, and that guy is the most competitive at the moment, and he’s scoring the big points.

“He’s as good as he gets as a driver.”