It now appears that Max Verstappen has a small chance of performing a miracle comeback in the 2025 Formula 1 title fight.
The Dutchman was effectively ruled down and out of proceedings heading into the summer break, but a Red Bull floor upgrade has turned the tide. McLaren no longer seem as unflappable as they once were, and their drivers may be under some pressure now.
Verstappen trails Oscar Piastri at the top of the drivers’ championship by just 69 points, which isn’t as comfortable a situation as it was just a few weeks ago. The current reigning champion needs to overturn a deficit of just 10 points per race between now and the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
After a dominant race, Verstappen’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was ‘unusual’ since he didn’t really face any issues throughout the weekend. It was about as smooth sailing as he could have hoped for it to be. Verstappen copied a ‘convincing’ Monza trick, and it paid dividends once again.
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Robert Doornbos says Max Verstappen radio message shows he ‘doesn’t care’ about catching McLaren
Verstappen has made his ‘dream’ F1 future clear, and it might not be quite as exciting as fans may hope it would be. Currently, he wants to round his career off as a Red Bull driver, which could mean retiring at the end of his current contract in 2028.
If there’s a way for him to remain in the title picture this season, and maybe even snatch a fifth consecutive triumph against the odds, it would be considered the single greatest comeback in the championship’s history.
However, Robert Doornbos has told The Pit Talk Podcast that he thinks his fellow countryman ‘doesn’t care’ about catching the McLaren drivers.
“You noticed this already in Monza, when he got the board radio, or actually, he saw it on the screens that McLaren did their infamous swap back after a slow pit stop.
“They were like ‘What are they swapping for a slow pit stop?’ So, he sort of doesn’t care. He laughs about them, about the competition and not in an arrogant way because he’s only focused on himself.”
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Why Max Verstappen’s 2025 title hopes might be about to take a hit
In recent years, there has been one circuit which has proved to be Red Bull’s nemesis more than anywhere else, and it happens to be next up on the calendar.
The Singapore Grand Prix was the only race they failed to win during their dominant 2023 season, and it’s the only circuit on the current calendar that Verstappen hasn’t won at yet.
Being beaten by McLaren would be a big hit to his hopes, knowing that he needs almost seven perfect weekends to come out on top still.
Gary Anderson is ‘sure’ Red Bull have made one secret change, but it might not be able to help them as much around the Marina Bay circuit at the start of October.