McLaren vs Verstappen: How to stop the threat to the F1 title?

Verstappen Overtakes McLaren as Favorite in the Formula 1 Championship

For the first time this season, a McLaren driver is no longer the favorite to win the Formula 1 world championship. Sports betting places Max Verstappen as the leader with +150, followed by Oscar Piastri with +175 and Lando Norris with +200. Just three races ago, Verstappen’s odds were +8000, highlighting the speed with which he has reduced Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ standings. After a disappointing weekend at the United States Grand Prix, McLaren could be worried. However, the team has been aware of Verstappen’s threat for several races.

The danger for me is the same as in Baku. I said very clearly in Baku that Max was in the fight for the drivers’ championship. And when I say something, I mean it.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal

Since last month’s Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen has outperformed the two McLaren drivers combined and reduced his distance with Piastri by 64 points. If this trend continues in the last five races, Verstappen would surpass both Piastri and Norris.

Red Bull’s improvement and Verstappen’s performance have made the car the fastest on the grid in recent races. This, added to the difficulties of the McLaren drivers in maximizing their car’s performance, has reduced the gap in the standings. If both McLaren drivers outperform the defending champion in one of the remaining five races, Verstappen’s task becomes more complicated. Furthermore, McLaren believes that three of the remaining circuits (Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi) will better suit the strengths of their car.

We have good clues ahead for our car and I think we could have exploited our car more.

Andrea Stella, McLaren director

Stella also believes that McLaren’s performance has not been as disappointing as recent results suggest. In the five races since the return from the summer break in Zandvoort, Piastri’s average finishing position is 6.6 and Norris’s is 6.4. Verstappen’s is 1.4. After Sunday’s race in Austin, Stella was convinced that Norris would have had the pace to match Verstappen if he hadn’t lost a position to Charles Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race battling Ferrari. Piastri’s lack of performance in Austin was more difficult to explain, but Stella said that important lessons were learned that will be applied in the next races. Stella also wanted to highlight that McLaren’s disastrous sprint race, in which Piastri and Norris collided and retired, had significant repercussions for the rest of the weekend. In addition to the points lost, McLaren also missed crucial data by running the car in the shorter race format that would have unlocked more performance in qualifying and the race.

One way to increase the chances of a McLaren driver winning the title would be for the team to back a single driver. Piastri would be the obvious choice, but Norris’s best form in the last races is one of the many reasons why that decision is not clear.

After multiple questions about such a strategy over the weekend, McLaren remained firm in their belief that both drivers deserve the same opportunities. The only thing that will change that would be if a driver were mathematically excluded from the title fight. According to Stella, the answer is simple: stay calm and move on.

We continue to talk about the fact that what we are facing at the moment, which is tough competition to win races, tough competition in the pursuit of the drivers’ championship, is what Formula 1 is all about.

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal

Stella emphasizes the importance of enjoying the process and recognizing the privilege of being in this situation, thanking McLaren’s good work and its drivers. The team focuses on maintaining the good work, trusting that the results will come.