Helmut Marko holds onto hope amid 2025 F1 title: “Max and Vettel have made bigger comebacks before”. Helmut Marko remains hopeful despite Max Verstappen's 49-point deficit to Oscar Piastri.

The Dutchman is 49 points behind Oscar Piastri
At the end of the Spanish GP, Max Verstappen dropped to 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. The wheel contact with George Russell and the resulting 10-second penalty cost the Dutchman nine points, as instead of claiming the 10 points for fifth place, he fell to tenth and collected just one point.

Not even at the beginning of 2022 was the gap to Charles Leclerc this wide. After the Australian GP, Max Verstappen was 46 points behind the Ferrari driver—a gap he closed within a few races before pulling ahead and comfortably winning the title.

Helmut Marko draws on these memories to keep hope alive for what currently looks like a foregone conclusion: “We also came back from 44 points behind Fernando Alonso with Sebastian Vettel,” said Helmut Marko, speaking to Servus TV, “and Max Verstappen has already recovered from a 46-point deficit. This year, however, it will be very difficult, because we don’t have a car on the same level as McLaren. In terms of performance, we’re only able to match them once every three or four races, while they don’t have any drop-offs. If we don’t fix the issues we’re facing, the gap can only get bigger. We’re not giving up, but we know it will be very difficult.”