Speaking to the media ahead of the Interlagos weekend, the Dutchman said: “For me, there’s no pressure. Even if I don’t win it (the championship), I still know that I drove a really good season, and I can happily say that to try and replicate the season that I’ve done with people on the grid.”

For Verstappen, the mere fact that he’s still in the title conversation, given McLaren’s dominance throughout the season, is already an achievement in itself.

“I think it will be very tough. You just need to be realistic about the chances that we had throughout the season. To still be talking about being in this fight I think is already remarkable in the first place.”

He finally added that the recent turnaround in form was also sparked by the internal shake-up following Christian Horner’s departure and the arrival of Laurent Mekies.

The four-time world champion heads to Interlagos having cut a further four points off the championship lead, which shifted in Mexico after Lando Norris’s dominant win — even though Norris actually outscored the Red Bull driver by 10 points.

Verstappen now sits 36 points adrift with four races and two sprint events remaining, including one taking place on Saturday.