Toto Wolff is following the battle between Max Verstappen and the McLaren duo “with great interest,” suggesting that the Dutchman can rely on a key psychological weapon as the title fight intensifies.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff combined mathematical odds with psychological insight in his analysis of the World Championship duel between Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen is now just forty points behind Piastri, who still leads the Drivers’ standings despite an anonymous performance in Austin. Meanwhile, Lando Norris has been on a strong run, finishing ahead of his teammate in the last four races.
The race at Zandvoort seemed to have wiped out any realistic title hopes for drivers not in a McLaren. The Woking team dominated the Dutch Grand Prix, only stopped by a mechanical issue on Lando Norris’ car. Their rivals, including Max Verstappen, were simply too far behind in race pace — even if the Dutchman managed to finish second in front of his home crowd.
But everything changed in Monza. The updates on Red Bull’s RB21 finally paid off, and SuperMax claimed his third victory of the season. He followed that up with another win in Azerbaijan, where the McLarens failed to reach the podium, and then finished ahead of the papaya cars again in Singapore, even though George Russell took the victory. With his triumph in Austin, the “T-Rex” from Hasselt is now closing his jaws even tighter on Piastri and Norris in the title chase.
Toto Wolff: “Verstappen has a 19% or 21% chance on his side”
The entire paddock is watching the battle for the Drivers’ Championship unfold. “I’m following what’s happening with great interest,” said Toto Wolff. “I’ve been in a similar situation to McLaren, with two drivers fighting for the title and another one chasing them. The underdog always has a psychological advantage because the odds are stacked against him.”
“I’ve already calculated it — Max should have between a 19% and 21% chance of winning. But a single retirement can change everything, and that also changes the way you drive,” Wolff explained. “We saw that in the fight between Lando and Leclerc: it’s hard to know when to attack or when to wait,” concluded the Austrian.
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