Verstappen Challenges McLaren in the Formula 1 Championship Fight
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 main contender, closely followed by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Just three races ago, Verstappen’s odds were much lower, which underscores the speed with which he has reduced Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ standings. The Red Bull team and Verstappen have experienced a notable change, and McLaren could feel concerned after a disappointing weekend at the United States Grand Prix.Identifying the threat is one thing, but combating it is another. Since last month’s Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen has outperformed the two McLaren drivers combined and reduced his distance to Piastri by 64 points. If the same trend were applied to the last five races of the season, Verstappen would surpass both Piastri and Norris to win this year’s title. Red Bull’s performance, with Verstappen at the wheel, has become the fastest car on the grid in recent races, thanks to improvements in the setup and a significant upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix. This, combined with the difficulties of the McLaren drivers in maximizing their car’s performance and the mistakes made, has reduced the gap in the standings. Despite Verstappen’s impressive pursuit of his fifth title, the outcome of the drivers’ championship could still be in McLaren’s hands. If both McLaren drivers outperform the defending champion in just one of the remaining five races, the task facing Verstappen becomes immense. Furthermore, McLaren believes that three of the remaining circuits (Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi) will be much more suited to the underlying strengths of their car than recent tracks.The danger for me is the same as in Baku. I said very clearly in Baku that Max was in contention for the drivers’ championship. And when I say something, I mean it.
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal
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 with the Ferrari. Piastri’s lack of performance in Austin was more difficult to explain, but Stella said that important lessons were learned on Sunday that will be applied to the next rounds. 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. In addition to the points lost, McLaren also missed crucial data from the shortened race that would have unlocked more performance in qualifying and the race. With the current generation of F1 cars, significant aerodynamic performance can be found when running at lower ride heights. To prevent teams from running dangerously close to the ground, a resin “plank” is installed on the underside of the car that must maintain a certain thickness in several measuring holes to be considered legal. What will McLaren do now?The fact that there are five races and two sprints means that we can also increase the distance with Max. That’s how I see things. I think we have good tracks ahead for our car and I think we could have exploited more of our car.
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal
One way to increase the chances of a McLaren driver winning the title would be for the team to fully back a single driver. Piastri would be the obvious choice given his 14-point lead in the championship, although Norris’s improved form in recent races is one of the many reasons why that decision is not clear.
So, what’s McLaren’s plan to fight Verstappen? According to Stella, the answer is remarkably simple: stay calm and carry on. Facing fierce competition to win races and in the pursuit of the drivers’ championship is what is expected in Formula 1. McLaren focuses on enjoying the process, staying calm, and giving their best to achieve the desired results.When it comes to having to make a decision about a driver, this will only be led by mathematics. I can remember at least 2007, 2010, in which you arrive at the last race and it is actually the third [driver] who wins the championship, but we are not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics.
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal
