Title race does not feel like a fight - Verstappen

Red Bull's Max Verstappen says his title conflict against nan McLaren drivers this twelvemonth "doesn't really consciousness for illustration a fight".

The four-time champion is 25 points down title leader Oscar Piastri aft winning 2 of nan first 7 races.

That is nan aforesaid number of victories arsenic Lando Norris, Piastri's McLaren team-mate, who is 3 points down nan Australian.

But Verstappen implied that he did not person overmuch dream of adding a 5th title successful 2025.

"I conscionable effort to do my best, person a spot of nosy retired there," Verstappen said.

"I'm much excited if I cognize that we're going to beryllium ace quick. That's nan astir exciting. I ever effort to do my best, but this twelvemonth truthful acold it had immoderate existent positives, but of people besides immoderate negatives. With immoderate races we are really disconnected nan pace, which is not enjoyable.

"That besides doesn't mean that I'm enjoying it aliases loving it. I for illustration it. Up until this constituent it's not going to beryllium remembered forever."

Verstappen's pessimism is based connected nan truth that while nan Red Bull is speedy connected circuits pinch mean and high-speed corners - specified arsenic nan Barcelona way that hosts this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix - it is anemic astatine low-speed and complete bumps and kerbs connected thoroughfare circuits.

He added: "It's not that I don't believe. I conscionable stone up to nan way and I do nan champion I tin each azygous weekend. I don't request to judge successful it. Fully aliases not. I cognize that each clip that I spell retired there, I do nan champion I can.

"If that's pinch a car that is tin of P5, I will put it P5. If it's tin of winning, I'll win. Honestly, I conscionable attack it very simple, which besides doesn't eat up a batch of power arsenic well, truthful I person a batch of free clip extracurricular of that."

Piastri, who has 4 wins, rejected nan thought that Verstappen was not a title contender.

"I don't deliberation he tin beryllium counted out," Piastri said. "The spread is not very ample astatine nan moment, and they've genuinely been competitory astatine a decent number of circuits now.

"Of course, there's been weekends wherever we've been stronger, but they've been processing their car, they've been uncovering much performance, truthful I deliberation astatine this point, Max is decidedly still successful nan fight."

Verstappen said he had small dream that a caller method regularisation being introduced for this play would boost his chances against McLaren.

F1 introduces stiffer tests connected beforehand helping elasticity astatine this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, aimed astatine preventing teams deliberately exploiting helping flex to heighten aerodynamics.

Flexing beforehand wings, pinch nan usage of clever carbon-fibre manufacturing techniques, helps teams equilibrium nan cars betwixt precocious velocity and low-speed corners.

They besides boost apical velocity by 'backing off' connected straights without compromising cornering performance, because nan helping lifts up astatine little speeds erstwhile nan car is cornering.

Red Bull person been hoping nan norm alteration - which intends wings are allowed to flex little for a fixed magnitude of weight applied to them successful a trial by governing assemblage nan FIA - could hamper McLaren.

But Verstappen: "More has to hap for our broadside to person due success. All will beryllium a small impacted, immoderate a small much than others, but it is not going to alteration nan world.

"It will alteration nan equilibrium of nan car astir apt a small bit. For us, not excessively much. I don't expect monolithic clip gains aliases losses betwixt nan teams."

Norris, who won successful Monaco connected Sunday, said his squad were not worried astir them.

"No, not astatine all," Norris said. There are small tweaks present and location but thing that will alteration really we person to do anything."

Piastri added: "I've not tally nan beforehand wing, but Lando's already tally nan beforehand helping earlier this year, truthful we're confident.

"That's not our magic bullet. We don't person a magic bullet, but that's not our main strength."

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton criticised nan determination to enforce nan stricter tests connected nan grounds that it would forestall teams from overcoming a basal rumor pinch nan aerodynamic behaviour of nan existent procreation of cars, which thin to person a deficiency of beforehand grip successful nan slow-speed corners, and excessively overmuch successful nan high-speed

"The flexi-wing was a band-aid for a poorly designed method regulation," Hamilton said. "It made this procreation of car overmuch nicer to drive. So it's going successful nan incorrect direction, that's for sure."