Verstappen couldn't care less about F1 runner-up battle: 'Only first matters'

Verstappen has enjoyed a strong run of results in recent races, with victories in Malaysia and Singapore followed by a third-place finish at the United States Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion is now fourth in the Drivers' Championship, just six points behind George Russell in second and five behind Lewis Hamilton in third. Charles Leclerc is also involved in the closely contested battle, sitting three points behind Verstappen.

However, the Dutchman is not particularly concerned about finishing ahead of his rivals unless the world championship itself is at stake.

Asked ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix whether claiming second place in the standings would be a meaningful achievement, Verstappen dismissed the idea.

Red Bull is currently level with McLaren on 355 points in the Constructors' Championship, with both teams fighting to secure third place behind Mercedes and Ferrari. The battle remains important for Red Bull, which has finished inside the top three in the Constructors' standings every season since 2016.

Although Red Bull has made significant progress during the second half of the season, Verstappen believes further improvements will be necessary to challenge Mercedes consistently next year.

The Dutchman suggested that the team is preparing substantial changes to its car, rather than relying on the progress achieved in recent months: "(There are) still a lot of things that we want to change, and I hope that it will bring the car a bit more together. That's been the target already for a long time.