Verstappen has heart like Fury's and 'doesn't give a f***' about Hamilton talk

And while Hamilton likes to fan the flames a bit - according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner - Verstappen doesn't care.

Dutchman Verstappen of Red Bull is currently leading the seven-time world champion by eight points going into the final two races of the year in the Middle East.

It has been one of the most high-quality title races the sport has ever witnessed, but the pressure is on Verstappen as consecutive victories in Brazil and Qatar have seen the momentum swing towards Hamilton's Mercedes.

Horner, however, has taken measures to relieve the pressure off his star driver by lavishing praise on him before this weekend's showdown in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the media, he said: "Max drives like Tyson Fury fights. He's got that same heart.

"You just know he's going to give it everything and if you knock him down, he's going to get back up.

"He's got that burning desire, that all-out commitment. I would put money on Max's first flying lap in Saudi Arabia being the fastest of any driver."

Horner also hit out at Hamilton's apparent digs at his driver.

Adding to The Telegraph, he said: "Lewis continually drops his subtle little digs or provocations. But I think the great thing about Max is he doesn't give a f***.

"He is who he is. He drives a car fast. And then he wants to go home and play on his PlayStation. It's as simple as that."

Horner also said Verstappen is training as well as ever ahead of the last two races of the F1 calendar.

He wrote in his RedBull.com column: "The maturity Max has shown throughout the campaign has been extremely impressive.

"He's relaxed and dealing with the pressure incredibly well, I think he is driving better than ever.

"A good example of this was during the race in Qatar, when he did not feel we could catch Lewis, but commented over the that radio he "wanted to have some fun."