Max Verstappen given ‘danger zone’ warning as ‘tricky situation’ emerges

Jenson Button has revealed whether he’d rather be in Max Verstappen or Lando Norris’ shoes as he compared this year to 2009.

The final six races of the F1 2024 season see Max Verstappen attempting to defend a 52-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship from Lando Norris – a position which would usually seem safe if it wasn’t for the pace of the McLaren being far greater than Red Bull’s in recent races.

Jenson Button: I’ve been on Max Verstappen’s side of things

Speaking about the climactic few weeks awaiting F1 over the final six races, 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button appeared on the Sky F1 podcast where he compared Verstappen’s situation to his own title win in 2009.

Brawn, driving for Brawn GP, had started the year in dominant fashion but, with his team’s performance falling away in contrast to Red Bull ‘s, came under increasing pressure from Sebastian Vettel – the British driver came out on top, but it was far more tense than the first races of the year would have suggested.

It’s a remarkably similar situation unfolding this season, with all eyes on whether Verstappen – who hasn’t won a race since June’s Spanish Grand Prix – can massage his title lead home to claim a fourth consecutive title.

“I’ve been on the Max side of it, where the car isn’t performing as it was earlier in the season. You’re having someone chase you down, and it’s tough,” Button said.

“You know, Max is a tough cookie. He really is, in terms of I don’t think the pressures really get to him like most drivers, but this is a tricky situation.

“He’s already got into his head, from what I hear, that he’s not going to win another race this year.

“So it’s basically he’s in a position where he’s just going to come home and bring points. But, sometimes, when you’ve put that pressure on yourself, it’s even harder to get a podium.

“Also, it’s not just that McLaren is fast and Lando Norris, Oscar has had some great results.

“Mercedes, obviously, and Ferrari are all there. So if they all get their weekend together, and the Red Bull’s not singing as it has been earlier in the year, that’s a lot of points lost in one race.

“So it still is up in the air, obviously, Max is in a good position but it’s a high-pressure position that he’s in and I think that’s exciting.

“F1 as a whole is in such a good place right now that we have so many teams fighting for victories. I didn’t expect it this year, but I’m pleased to say that it’s great to see four teams fighting for wins.”

Would Jenson Button prefer to be in the McLaren or the Red Bull?

With Verstappen and Norris approaching the final six race weekends in different ways, as Norris needs to go ‘full send’ to close in Verstappen’s lead, Button was asked which car he’d prefer to be in as a driver at this point of the championship.

“Now, it’s easy, it’s the McLaren, definitely, hands down,” he said.

“At the start of the year, you would have picked the Red Bull. I remember testing in Bahrain, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, look, here comes Max, half a second quicker than anyone, seven-tenths quicker than anyone’.

“Every time he jumped in the car, the pace was there, and it just seemed easy. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around when you’re so far into a regulation.

“There have not been any regulation changes. I’m amazed that we’ve seen such a difference throughout the season from teams, and I don’t know if that’s Red Bull losing their way a little bit, not getting the upgrades that they’d hoped, or going a direction that hasn’t worked for the car.

“You start trying wild things with the car when it’s not working, and sometimes it can push you in the wrong direction, and then you start developing the car in that direction.

“So it’s a tricky position to be in for Red Bull, with having three teams breathing down their neck and the off-track action that we’ve had as well.

“So it’s great for the sport, not so good for Red Bull. But there are some very talented people there, including Max, who can build this team back up again, but this year, it’s got to be tough until the last race.”

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Jenson Button warns Max Verstappen about ‘danger zone’

Button has previously revealed how, in his own quest to secure the 2009 championship, he seized up a little due to nerves as the season unfolded – evidenced by teammate Rubens Barrichello emerging as the stronger Brawn driver in the latter stages.

The British driver said the danger for Verstappen would be if, in his attempts to be cautious in securing points, he drives in a fashion unnatural to his usual attacking style.

“It’s definitely not Max’s style to be cautious. But the issue comes if the car isn’t competitive enough in qualifying, then you’ve put yourself in a position where it’s tricky,” he said.

“For example, Austin at Turn 1 is where you could have seven or eight cars wide on turning, and it all narrows down to two cars wide.

“If he’s in a position where the car isn’t quick enough to put it top two, top three, then you’re in the danger zone of getting damaged at Turn 1.

“So that’s when we’ll see a real turnaround, I think, in the championship.

“As soon as you’re a little bit more cautious, that’s when problems start, because no one else is being cautious, and you got one car being cautious and all the others around you not – so it really is a minefield.

“This sport is such a mental game, and it’s hurt me in the past and hurt my performance in the past by not having my head in the right place, and especially when I fought for the championship.

“It’s kind of the same situation for Max. I think he probably can handle the pressure a bit better than I could back then, but still, it’s not an easy position to be in.”

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