“I have got older and I have more experience, but I don’t necessarily think I would have punched Lewis,’ said Verstappen, in an interview with the PA news agency in Austin.
“It is just that you experience more things and you learn how to deal with the sport better – that is just a natural process.
“I have been very relaxed the whole year. I cannot speak for Lewis, but from my side, there is no real extra pressure.”
With the championship poised on a knife-edge, Verstappen currently leads the way by six points heading to Austin with just six races remaining.