Max Verstappen closes gap to Oscar Piastri: “If someone told me this after Zandvoort, I’d have called them an idiot”. Max Verstappen reflects on his remarkable comeback in the 2025 F1 season.

In four races, the Dutchman has regained an average of 16 points per race on Oscar Piastri.

Incredible comeback

No matter how the 2025 season ends, Max Verstappen has already accomplished a remarkable feat. Over the past four races, following his home Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he has reduced his deficit to the World Championship leader Oscar Piastri from 104 points to 40 points. This amounts to an average gain of 16 points per weekend, which, if maintained, could allow him to secure his fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship. After the Texas Grand Prix, the Red Bull champion openly admitted that he believes it is possible to win the championship, despite still being behind in the standings.

Max Verstappen speaks at the press conference

During the post-race press conference in Austin, Max Verstappen admitted that he would not have believed such a comeback was possible just six weeks ago: “If someone had told me at Zandvoort that after four races I would be in contention for the Drivers’ Championship, would I have believed it? No. I would have told them they were an idiot,” said the reigning champion, eliciting laughter from the journalists present at the Circuit of the Americas.

The car is easier to handle

“But now we have found a good way to manage the car,” Max Verstappen continued. “It’s simple. Of course, we have made some improvements to the car, but we’ve also just understood it a bit better and figured out where we want it to perform best. Now every weekend we try to reach that level. Some weekends are better than others, but in general the past few races have been much easier compared to earlier in the season. That’s what we need to aim for every single race.” – the four-time Formula 1 world champion concluded at the end of the United States Grand Prix in Austin.