Verstappen challenges McLaren: Thrilling three-way fight for the F1 title

Verstappen Rises Again in the F1 Championship Fight

Austin, Texas – Max Verstappen, after his victory in the United States Grand Prix, has climbed positions in the standings, placing himself only 40 points behind the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, with five races and two sprints to go. This performance has consolidated a growing feeling in Formula 1: the 2025 season is shaping up as a three-way battle.

Just a few months ago, after Verstappen’s home race, the situation seemed very different. Piastri was leading the competition and seemed on track to win the championship. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate at McLaren, was lagging behind. Verstappen, for his part, was 104 points behind the leader, looking like a spectator in the contest.

I would have told him he was an idiot. However, reality has shown the opposite. Verstappen has strung together impressive victories, including a double in the Austin Grand Prix. This performance is reminiscent of his successful previous seasons and has rekindled the fight for the title. Verstappen’s dominance has been demonstrated with victories in Baku and Singapore, in addition to his recent triumph in Austin. These results have highlighted his talent and the evolution of Red Bull, which has improved its performance on the track. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen after the race: “Well done, Max. It was a true demonstration of dominance, what can I say? You achieved everything this weekend. Everything. And by quite a margin. You were very brave throughout the weekend. You didn’t take anything for granted and kept extending the lead. Well done. Very impressive.” Verstappen’s streak is approaching historic levels, and his presence in the fight for the title, which seemed defined, highlights his extraordinary talent. In addition to Verstappen’s talent, Red Bull has made significant improvements both on and off the track. These improvements, along with Verstappen’s renewed motivation, have boosted the team’s performance. An additional achievement in this period is Verstappen’s victory in the endurance race at Nürburgring, a circuit known as “The Green Hell”. This triumph, according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, has contributed to Verstappen’s motivation.

Max, at a time when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a bit of interest. He was more interested in GT racing, so to keep him in a good mood, I would talk to him about Nürburgring and things like that. But now that the car works and with his success at Nürburgring, I would say that two tenths came from him because he is really motivated, he is enjoying [F1]. You don’t hear him shouting, he’s smiling, that’s what you need.

Helmut Marko

The combination of a revitalized Verstappen and an optimized Red Bull, under the direction of Laurent Mekies, has resulted in a significant change. This resurgence coincides with the challenges facing McLaren, which has struggled in its strategy to maintain fair competition between Piastri and Norris.

In the case of McLaren, a possible solution would be to apply team orders, but they have ruled out this option. Norris’s closeness to Piastri further complicates the situation. McLaren has been dealing with controversial decisions, such as the “retaliation” for Norris due to his contact with Piastri in Singapore. Furthermore, an incident in the Austin sprint, where Piastri was involved in a crash, has added more tension. These events have generated complications for McLaren in their attempt to compete for the title. Piastri’s form is also a cause for concern. Although he has shown great performance, recent incidents could indicate a decline in his performance. However, Piastri still leads the championship, a position that any driver would desire. [Max is] obviously there and he’s fast, but I think for me, the biggest focus is trying to figure out why this weekend was difficult and trying to get back the form we’ve had earlier in the season. So that’s my biggest focus, and if we can find it again, then the results will take care of themselves. Norris, for his part, has had an encouraging weekend in Austin. He has shown a great performance and has reduced the gap with Piastri. Norris has shown a competitive spirit and has performed impressive maneuvers on the track. Norris minimized the 14-point difference with Piastri, but his recent performance has put him back in contention.

I mean, it doesn’t really matter. Currently, I get the most points I can every weekend, so the more points I get, the better it is for both situations. It doesn’t matter. Nothing changes. I don’t have to do anything different for either. It’s quite simple.

Lando Norris

The championship fight at McLaren has become more complex with Verstappen’s presence, transforming a battle between teammates into a three-way fight. Verstappen has outperformed both McLaren drivers in the last four races, and this trend is likely to continue in Mexico. The fight for the title is underway.