Verstappen has so far chased the McLaren drivers Lando Norris’ and Oscar Piastri’s gap in the championship to within striking range, sitting just 36 points shy off the British driver’s lead in the Standings.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer argued Verstappen’s fight was still very much in his grasp. Despite the “big hit” the Dutch driver took in Mexico, Brazil stands as Verstappen’s opportunity to further fuel his chances. The F1TV analyst said: “I think it's still just about in his hands.

With Las Vegas coming up next after the race in Interlagos, Palmer opines Mercedes then could play a big role in the title fight, should McLaren suffer the dip in performance they experienced in last year’s edition of the race in Nevada.

Palmer then believes that if Verstappen is able to shrink the McLaren drivers’ lead substantially, then the pressure will be on his rivals, and with the “strange” outcomes the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi has often yielded, compounded with McLaren’s fair racing philosophy, the chance could come for Verstappen to actually pull of the feat.

“It's in his hands to get it down to the wire,” Palmer added. “If you're Max now with four races to go, you've got to just think, 'let's get the gap as close as it can be for Abu Dhabi', and then the pressure is on McLaren.

“It's the chance for Max to do something special from a little bit further back. So probably it's in his hands to get close. Let's say that, and then anything can happen at the end,” Palmer concluded.

George Russell has said he never doubted he would extend his Mercedes contract, putting the blame of all the noise that surrounded the delay on media speculation, which contrasted substantially with the reality of the ongoing negotiations. Read Russell's full statements here.

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