The Mercedes driver is locked in his toughest Formula One title fight yet with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but insists his projects off-track contribute to his focus when racing. Verstappen leads the reigning world champion by 12 points with five meetings remaining, beginning with the Mexican GP next weekend. “This year I’ve not been drawing on past experiences, I’ve been drawing on feeding off this energy of doing this positive work,” he told Sky Sports. “I noticed that last year and it was a part of that last year. Verstappen is competing for his first title and the pair have seriously clashed on track twice already this season. “Now I feel like I have a mission in life and it’s not about just winning championships and races,” he said.

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