Ex-F1 driver Giedo Van der Garde confident Max Verstappen can win the championship. Giedo van der Garde believes Max Verstappen can overcome his points deficit to McLaren.

Van der Garde confident Verstappen will claim the 2025 world championship

Former Dutch Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde is convinced that Max Verstappen, winner of the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, could seriously close the gap on McLaren’s #81 and overtake him in the drivers’ standings.

Verstappen gaining momentum

In the last two rounds of the championship at Monza and Baku, Max Verstappen stood atop the podium after dominating both events. At the “Temple of Speed,” the four-time world champion surprised McLaren by finishing ahead of the Woking-based team’s drivers. In Azerbaijan, he capitalized on Oscar Piastri’s dramatic early retirement and Lando Norris’ missed opportunities to reduce his championship deficit against the McLaren drivers.

Currently, Max Verstappen sits third in the standings, 44 points behind Norris, with Piastri still leading by 69 points and seven races remaining. While this advantage would suggest Piastri as the likely champion, Max Verstappen’s recent wins and Red Bull’s strong form are fueling real, though challenging, hopes for a late-season comeback. This could mark a fifth consecutive world title for the Dutch driver.

Van der Garde believes in Verstappen’s comeback

Could such a comeback actually happen? While it’s a highly ambitious goal, Giedo van der Garde, now a pundit, is firmly convinced. In an interview with ViaPlay, he stated that he believes neither Piastri nor Norris will claim the championship, while Verstappen has the edge: “I think neither Piastri nor Norris will become world champion, while I believe Max will—his car has become much more competitive.”

Van der Garde elaborated on his reasoning: “If you think about it, there are really only two Grands Prix that suit McLaren perfectly: Singapore, where Lando Norris excels, and Qatar. The others? I bet Max will win. Abu Dhabi, Mexico, Brazil, United States… There are 69 points between him and Piastri, which is a lot, but don’t forget that Lando and Oscar have never been world champions. They will have moments of nerves, they will make mistakes, they might even go off track. And Max? He has nothing to lose—he will give everything. Believe me: he will become world champion.”