Max Verstappen has further reduced the gap separating him from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship. McLaren now faces a real threat, but the team will maintain its approach and strategy until the title is mathematically in the hands of its drivers.
Even before stepping onto the podium to collect a trophy that Red Bull will struggle to transport, Max Verstappen expressed a sentiment that had been growing over the past few weeks: “The championship? If we are perfect until the end… then we’ll have a chance.” The title fight is officially reopened. After Austin, the numbers now give Verstappen a concrete shot at the final sprint. Over the last four race weekends, Max has collected 101 points, compared to 57 for Lando Norris and 37 for Oscar Piastri. With five races to go, the gap to Oscar and Lando is 40 and 26 points respectively.
But this is not just about arithmetic. The Austin weekend cracked the certainties of McLaren. What once seemed unlikely has become real: if the Red Bull-Verstappen duo maintains the form shown over the last four rounds, McLaren faces the risk (still limited for now) of a dramatic upset that could go down in F1 history. The margin McLaren’s drivers still have is reassuring—but only if a reaction comes soon.
McLaren must respond quickly
McLaren needs to return to winning ways as soon as possible. Entering the final stretch with Max Verstappen still in contention would give the Dutchman an additional advantage, as he is accustomed to the pressure of title fights. What is a comfort zone for Verstappen could become a source of stress for Piastri, Norris, and the entire McLaren team. The Dutchman shows none of the tension he felt in 2021; just a month ago, few would have imagined him truly competing for the championship, and even in the event of defeat, there would be no major complaints.
Red Bull is aware that McLaren only needs one mistake to lose their comfortable position. In Austin, the Sprint race start incident cost not only championship points but also crucial data for the team when deciding the race setup. Despite this, Norris delivered a solid performance, paying the price for running behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari during the first stint. The MCL39 had the potential to compete for victory; in a clean weekend without incidents, Lando could have matched Max. Even the conservative setup regarding ride heights, chosen after the Sprint race incident, did not help.
McLaren remains a winning car, but unlike the first half of the season, they cannot afford errors. A stellar Max Verstappen and a revitalized Red Bull demand perfection from the Woking team, and Austin exposed areas that fell short. Andrea Stella explained: “We know that when Max has competitive machinery, he becomes a serious candidate for victory. We must continue to maximize our performance and have consistent good weekends. There have been weekends, like in Baku, where we didn’t manage to put it all together as we could have, but we certainly have a great opportunity and are aware that the outcome of this season is in our hands.”
Driver hierarchy remains unchanged
When asked if McLaren might consider internal driver priorities in a tighter championship, Stella replied: “There are five Grands Prix and two Sprint races left, and I see them as opportunities to increase our advantage over Max. That’s how I see it. The drivers know they could have done better in previous races, but we won’t make any decisions unless dictated by the mathematics.”
Piastri under the spotlight
Austin confirmed Norris’s good form, managing tire overheating and the final attack on Leclerc calmly, under track-limit pressure. Piastri, however, had his worst weekend of the season performance-wise. The team will analyze all available data in the coming days to understand the causes behind a very muted performance. Andrea Stella added: “We’ll check the setup, the floor, and the driving. I also think Oscar struggles a bit when the car needs to be pushed, managing understeer, oversteer, and lock-ups. This is an area where he can improve, and by his standards, this will happen quickly.”
The spotlight will be on Piastri in the next round. His points buffer from Zandvoort keeps him afloat, but to maintain his championship hopes, he must react quickly. “I prefer being in my position rather than that of my rivals,” he said after the race, referring to his weekend balance and overall standings. He remains the leader, but in less than two months, Formula 1 has proven that even certainties can change quickly.
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