Make no mistake about it—Max Verstappen can win the F1 Driver’s World Championship. And no, this isn’t just some from-the-outside-looking-in chance at a title. It’s a very real title chase, one that looked dead in the water just a couple of months ago.
After the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen, the four-time defending world champion, fell behind by 104 points to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, dimming the former’s hopes of a fifth straight title. Then, Max Verstappen seemingly flipped the switch. With his nearly flawless victory in the US Grand Prix, the Dutch driver is now just 40 points clear of Piastri (346 points so far) and is breathing down the neck of the Australian’s teammate at McLaren, Lando Norris (332 points).
Dutch Domination: Max Verstappen Flashing Fine Form
Max Verstappen is bearing down on the world championship because he has been F1’s best since the mid-season break, taking 119 of the maximum 133 points at stake in five Grands Prix—Dutch, Italian, Azerbaijan, Singapore, and US. Over the course of five races, Verstappen won thrice—in Italy, Azerbaijan, and the US—and finished second in the Netherlands and Singapore.
In contrast, Piastri has had just one podium finish since winning the Dutch Grand Prix and retired in Azerbaijan, while Norris recorded three podium finishes and an 18th-place disaster. Combined, the McLaren duo could muster only 119 points—62 for Piastri, 57 for Norris—over that stretch, allowing Verstappen to make this decisive move late in the season.
Max Verstappen’s Path to a Fifth Title
If this late-season trend continues, don’t be surprised if Max Verstappen overtakes Norris in either São Paulo or Las Vegas and then Piastri in either Las Vegas or Qatar—potentially setting up a chaotic final two races in the Middle East.
Since the Dutch Grand Prix, when Verstappen’s deficit peaked at 104 points, the Red Bull stalwart has been cutting 16 points off Piastri’s lead every racing weekend. Given the former’s recent run of dominance and the latter’s late-season swoon, there’s a high likelihood the scores will continue on the same trajectory. In such case, Verstappen would find himself in the driver’s seat when the season lands in the Middle East for the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Verstappen himself knows it, noting that “for sure the chance is there” in what is his clearest pronouncement thus far of his title chances.
There sure is a chance there. And don’t be surprised if Max Verstappen takes it.
