Fan vote: Is Verstappen about to nick this title from McLaren?
Max Verstappen has made a nasty habit of turning slow burns into bonfires. Four races ago, the title looked like Oscar Piastri’s to shepherd. Now? The reigning champ has carved 64 points out of the lead in a month, won three of the last four, and left Austin saying, with typical Verstappen understatement, “the chance is there.”
There is, however, a lot of arithmetic left in this championship. As it stands, Verstappen remains 40 points behind Piastri with five races to go and two Sprints tucked into that run-in. Lando Norris is still right there too, giving McLaren a two-car net to try and catch whatever Red Bull throws at them.
So, let’s put it to you: does Max complete the heist and bag a fifth straight crown, or do McLaren’s young guns hold their nerve?
Cast your vote at the bottom. Then tell us how you think this plays out.
Why this suddenly feels tight
Even the margins tell a story. Verstappen’s win column is filling back up and Red Bull’s balance looks sharper than it did earlier in the season. When the defending champ gets a car underneath him that does exactly what he asks, the paddock gets twitchy — because his “baseline Sunday” is often everyone else’s “best day.” That’s what we’ve seen lately.
Piastri, to his credit, isn’t blinking. The Australian’s been ice-cold under pressure all year and, crucially, he’s not dropping the ball on the days McLaren don’t quite have it. You win titles with big victories, yes, but you secure them with tidy damage limitation. He’s been doing that.
Norris is the wild card
If you’re McLaren, you don’t change a thing; you use Norris as your bodyguard. He can steal points off Verstappen when Piastri can’t, and vice versa. But if their strategies diverge at the wrong time, or if they take points off each other when a team call could lock out a result… that’s the fine print Max lives to exploit.
The Sprint sting
Two Sprints remain. That’s eight points to the winner each time and extra jeopardy sprinkled over a title fight that’s become razor-edged. Sprints also compress practice time and punish teams that turn up slightly out of window. Red Bull historically excel when sessions are limited and set-up choices are decisive. McLaren can’t afford a scruffy Friday.
What Verstappen needs
– Keep starting up front. He’s lethal from P2; from P4 or worse, he drags himself into traffic and burns tyres.
– Cash the Sprint cheques. An eight-point swing on a Saturday sets the tone for a Sunday.
– Force McLaren to choose. If Red Bull splits strategies and one car undercuts, you can make the papaya pit wall pick a favourite at exactly the moment they don’t want to.
What McLaren need
– Clean weekends. No unforced errors, no procedural slip-ups, no freebies.
– Use both cars. Cover the undercut with one, own the clean air with the other. Make Max pass a McLaren twice, not once.
– Back yourselves. If Piastri’s the better-placed title shot, don’t be shy about it.
The mood music
Verstappen’s calm, which is usually bad news for everyone else. Piastri says he’s not worried by the momentum shift — the posture of a driver who believes the points in his pocket are worth more than the whispers in the paddock. Norris looks hungry and mischievous enough to influence this in either direction.
And then there’s the calendar. Five Sundays is plenty of rope to climb or to tangle yourself in. One DNF changes the temperature immediately. One Safety Car at the wrong time, one pit gun misfire, one track limits call — pick your poison.
Our read
If the last month is the form guide, you back Verstappen to keep taking chunks. But titles aren’t awarded on gradients; they’re decided on totals. McLaren still control the board. If they keep their execution clean, and if Piastri keeps banking podiums, the gap forces Max to be perfect more than once. He’s capable. That’s why this is fun.
Your turn
Will Max Verstappen overhaul Oscar Piastri and take the 2025 F1 World Championship? Vote below and drop your verdict in the comments — best takes make our Postbox this week.
