Max Verstappen leans into horror villain function after Zak Brown's feedback ring true

After stealing one other win from the McLaren workforce on the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen responded to Zak Brown’s description of him as a ‘horror film’ villain, joking that the workforce can name him “Chucky” because the 2025 title battle heads to Abu Dhabi.

Talking within the press convention after his win in Qatar, the reigning champion was requested concerning the feedback made by the McLaren Racing CEO, who had likened the driving force to a personality in a horror movie that “retains coming again”.

“You possibly can name me Chucky,” he laughed. “I don’t know, I imply I noticed it as effectively, I assumed it was fairly humorous.

“From my facet I simply give attention to myself, you understand… I do know that after I go within the automotive, I simply attempt to do the very best like I suppose everybody does. That’s the one factor that I can management, proper? And that’s the one factor that I give attention to.”

Verstappen’s win got here after McLaren did not pit its drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri underneath a security automotive, triggered by contact between Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly. Whereas the remainder of the sphere pitted for contemporary tyres, each papaya-clad drivers stayed out, leaving them out of sync with the remainder of the grid.

This left them susceptible, and finally Piastri fell from first to second whereas Norris slipped from third to fourth.

Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing

Photograph by: Mario Renzi – System 1 – Getty Photographs

Brown’s earlier feedback, then, weren’t far off the mark, with him labelling the choice to not pit as a “big mistake” that price his workforce a win and certain a double podium, whereas Verstappen was in a position to capitalise on this poor technique.

The Dutchman now sits simply 12 factors off the championship chief as they head to Abu Dhabi, however regardless of this, he insists he is relaxed.

“I am much more relaxed now. I do know that I am 12 factors down. I’m going in there with simply constructive power, I attempt the whole lot I can however on the identical time if I do not win it, I nonetheless know that I had a tremendous season. So it would not actually matter,” he mentioned. “It takes a variety of the stress off. I am simply on the market having time like I had at this time.

“I additionally began at this time with ‘oh, we’ll see the way it goes.’ I do know that after I sit within the automotive I’ll at all times maximise the whole lot I can and that is what I will attempt to do additionally in Abu Dhabi. However on the identical time, I additionally know that we have to depend on in all probability some exterior components to have a go at it.

“However a race like at this time exhibits that we expect it should be boring and easy. It isn’t, so I am hoping that Abu Dhabi goes to be comparable.”