Max Verstappen has intensified the psychological battle heading into Formula One’s season-ending showdown by embracing a horror-film persona, warning Lando Norris that “Chucky” is right behind him as the title fight goes to the wire.
Verstappen’s victory in the Qatar Grand Prix prevented Norris from sealing his maiden world championship and cut the Briton’s lead to just 12 points, setting up a three-way finale in Abu Dhabi involving Norris, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and the four-time world champion himself.
With only one race remaining, the margins are brutally tight.
Norris must finish at least third to guarantee the title or simply end the grand prix ahead of both rivals.
Anything less risks allowing Verstappen or Piastri to overturn what once looked an unassailable advantage.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown had joked before the race that Verstappen – who has clawed back a points deficit that exceeded 100 over the summer – resembled a “horror movie character” stalking the championship.
Verstappen, never one to miss an opportunity to twist the knife, gleefully adopted the nickname of the possessed doll from the Child’s Play series.
Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr pose on the podium following the Qatar Grand Prix
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REUTERS
“You can call me Chucky!” he said after the race.
“I saw what Zak said – I thought it was funny. From my side, I just focus on myself. I know that when I go in the car, I just try to do the best.”
His win tightened the pressure on Norris, whose fourth-place finish was complicated by strategic errors from McLaren.
The greatest drivers in F1 history | GETTY/GBNEWS
During a lap-seven safety car, the team opted not to pit either driver while the rest of the field switched tyres.
That misjudgment cost both Norris and Piastri vital track position.
Piastri, who closed to within 16 points of Norris after winning Saturday’s sprint, admitted the team had undermined their own weekend.
“Clearly we didn’t get it right today, which is a shame because the whole weekend went very well,” he said. “We had a lot of pace. I felt like I drove well. So yeah, it’s painful.”
For Norris, the task in Abu Dhabi is stark but straightforward: keep both rivals behind him.
The 24-year-old refused to be spooked by Verstappen’s theatrics. “The same as every weekend,” he said of his approach. “I try and beat them, they try and beat me. Nothing different.”
Max Verstappen was mobbed by Red Bull staff after winning the Qatar Grand Prix | REUTERS
The build-up to the finale was further inflamed by a row between Red Bull and Mercedes after Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, allowed Norris to pass him late in the Qatar race.
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko accused the 18-year-old of effectively ushering the championship leader through.
“Yes, because it was twice where he more or less waved Lando by,” Marko said. “It was so obvious.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hit back in furious terms.
“This is total utter nonsense,” he responded.
“That blows my mind even to hear that. How brainless can you be to say something like this?”
