Max Verstappen is facing a monumental challenge to stay in contention for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship title, as he currently trails Oscar Piastri by 81 points and is 65 points behind Lando Norris. With only 11 race weekends remaining in the season, the reigning world champion would need something close to a sporting miracle to recover that gap—possibly even requiring a collision or setback between the two McLaren drivers ahead of him.
Despite the enormous gap, it would be unwise to completely rule out Max Verstappen from the championship battle until it becomes mathematically impossible. The Dutch driver’s reputation for defying the odds and delivering under pressure keeps him in the conversation. However, the current performance gap between Red Bull Racing and the McLaren Formula 1 Team makes any sort of comeback appear increasingly unlikely.
This situation led to a noticeable difference of opinion between the two McLaren teammates during the media day at the Hungaroring ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. While Oscar Piastri appeared confident that the championship fight is now a head-to-head battle between himself and Lando Norris, the British driver, who knows Verstappen very well, refused to count the Dutchman out of the running.
Lando Norris’s view
Lando Norris acknowledged that although his McLaren team is currently stronger than Red Bull in terms of overall performance, the unpredictable nature of Formula 1 makes anything possible. He stated that Max Verstappen remains one of the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen, and that it would be a mistake to rule him out entirely just because of the current points gap.
“Nothing is impossible. We proved that last year, though that was quite some time ago,” Norris said. “We have a much more stable team now, and the car is performing far better than Red Bull’s, but Max is undoubtedly one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time. As a fellow driver, I wouldn’t count him out. That said, we do have the better car.”
Oscar Piastri’s opinion
Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, took a more assertive stance. The Australian driver suggested that the title battle has effectively become a two-way fight between himself and Lando Norris, citing the consistent performance levels both McLaren drivers have shown throughout the 2025 season.
“I suppose at this point, it’s a fight between me and Lando,” said Piastri. “We’ve been going head-to-head all season long, although I still expect our rivals to remain strong and to make our lives difficult, especially at certain circuits from now until the end of the year. I’m not too concerned about what might happen—I’m just focused on trying to win every race and increasing my lead.”
With just over a third of the season left, the battle for the championship is heating up, but opinions are split on whether Max Verstappen still has a realistic chance of pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in modern Formula 1 history. While some are already framing the final stretch as a McLaren internal duel, others are hesitant to dismiss the three-time world champion’s ability to turn the tables.
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