Verstappen is convinced: 'Half the field finishes the GP with an illegal car'

"Of course, you always try to find the limit – we all do," Verstappen told Viaplay. He explained that as a team you sometimes end up just above or just below it. "And sometimes you get away with it – you’re not always checked," he added.

According to the four-time world champion, the weaker teams are generally checked less often than the top cars. "I think if you check that every race – then half of them are definitely under," he added with a laugh about the teams at the back of the grid.

He emphasised that the FIA doesn’t have the capacity to check both cars of all teams after every race. "No, then you’d need a lot of people; that’s just not possible."

After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which Verstappen won, he got another bonus. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both his rivals in the title fight, were disqualified.

The floor of both McLarens was so worn during the race that the cars were declared illegal. Verstappen was informed on the plane that his rivals had been disqualified. "That was an early Christmas present for me," he said with a grin. 

"It at least made it a bit more exciting. Otherwise you wouldn’t have talked about Abu Dhabi being so close. For Formula 1, I think it was positive – and for me," he quickly added.

The Red Bull driver did stress that even after the disqualification, he didn’t get carried away with his title chances. He said he was aware that there was still a lot to do if he wanted to become world champion.