McLaren on Verstappen: He's like the guy in a horror movie who you think has fallen, but you see him and ask: "Where did he come from?"

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has said his team must "ignore horror movie character" Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver remains a serious threat in the race for the Formula One championship.

With two races to go, McLaren driver Lando Norris is first in the championship with 390 points, while his teammate Oscar Piastre and Verstappen each have 366.

Piastre will start from pole position in the sprint race in Qatar on Saturday, Norris from third, and Verstappen from sixth.

The reigning champion, Verstappen, was 104 points behind Piastre in August, but has improved his performances and results since the Dutch race. Piastre's form has slipped, Norris has taken the lead, and the four-time consecutive world champion remains in the title race.

"He's like that guy in a horror movie who you think has fallen, but then suddenly you see him and you ask, 'Where did he come from?'" Brown told Sky.

"He's a huge talent... I think we have to ignore him, we can't control what he does. Our mindset is to be on the front row, finish first and second and then we don't have to worry about him, but that's easier said than done," he added.

Brown said this after Verstappen stated that he would have easily won the title by now if he had been behind the wheel of a McLaren.

The sprint race in Qatar takes place on Saturday at 15 p.m., with qualifying four hours later.

The penultimate race in the championship for the Qatar Grand Prix is ​​scheduled for Sunday at 17 p.m.