McLaren versus Verstappen: How will he react to the threat?

Verstappen Overtakes McLaren in the F1 Championship Fight

For the first time this season, a McLaren driver is no longer the favorite to win the Formula 1 world championship. The odds favor Max Verstappen, while McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, are positioned as direct competitors. Just three races ago, Verstappen’s odds were much lower, which underlines the speed with which he has reduced Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ standings. The Red Bull team and Verstappen have achieved a remarkable turnaround, despite a less prominent weekend at the United States Grand Prix.

“The danger for me is the same as in Baku,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. “When I say something, I mean it. We know that when Max has the material to win, he becomes a very serious contender, so it doesn’t change our understanding of the situation.”

Andrea Stella

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

Red Bull, with Verstappen at the wheel, has become the fastest car in the last races. This, added to the difficulties of the McLaren drivers, such as Piastri’s accidents in qualifying and the race in Baku, has reduced the difference in the standings. Although Verstappen seeks his fifth title, the result of the drivers’ championship could still be in the hands of McLaren. If both McLaren drivers surpass the defending champion in one of the five remaining races, the task for Verstappen becomes more difficult. McLaren believes that three of the remaining circuits (Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi) will better suit the strengths of their car.

“I think we have good clues to come for our car and I think we have more that we could have exploited from our car,” Stella said. “I think we see the next five races as opportunities to increase the advantage over Max.”

Andrea Stella

Stella also believes that McLaren’s performance hasn’t been as disappointing as recent results suggest. In the five races since the summer break return in Zandvoort, Piastri’s average finishing position is 6.6 and Norris’s is 6.4, while 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 the 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 emphasize that McLaren’s disastrous sprint race, in which Piastri and Norris collided and retired, had significant repercussions for the rest of the weekend.

One way to increase the chances of a McLaren driver winning the title would be for the team to support a single driver. Piastri would be the obvious choice based on his 14-point lead in the championship.

McLaren remains firm in its belief that both drivers deserve the same opportunities. The only situation that would change this would be if a driver were mathematically excluded from the fight for the title.

“When it comes to having to make a decision about a driver, this will only be driven by mathematics,” Stella said. “We are not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics.”

Andrea Stella

According to Stella, McLaren’s strategy is to remain calm and move forward. “We’re still talking about the fact that what we’re facing right now, which is a close competition to win races, a close competition in the pursuit of the drivers’ championship, is what Formula 1 is all about,” he explained. In the future, McLaren will continue to work hard, trusting that the results will come by themselves.