Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen is not Superman: The real reason why he's still a title contender

18:58, 25 Nov

Updated: 20:20, 25 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Max Verstappen still has an opportunity to snatch the Drivers' title from McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Photo: Race Pictures

Verstappen currently trails Norris by 24 points and is tied with Piastri on 366, albeit with the Aussie driver in P2 given the seven race wins he boasts ahead of the Dutchman's six. But how is it possible that Verstappen is still a factor in the title? No, he's not Ayrton Senna reincarnated. The truth is actually much simpler.

McLaren drivers still maturing

It's hard to truly experience what a title-winning F1 career entails before being in the thick of fighting for poles, wins and being a championship fight protagonist every weekend.

The pressure has a way of settling in at different times and in different ways for drivers, as history and more recently the 2025 season has shown.

Unrecognisable Piastri

The driver who was complimented for his cool demeanor, his calculating approach and, up until Singapore, his unbreakable mental strength, has been the first and only one to crack so far.

At Monza a pit stop order unsettled his position with respects to the team and where it stood in the championship battle he and Norris were waging.

In Singapore, however, at the start of the race, Norris went from being a champion’s teammate, to driving like a champion himself, going for a daring move which resulted in contact. His attitude in the aftermath of the collision set the tone for the Norris we see now, and for Piastri as well.

Photo: Race Pictures

Uncertainty crept in, and the Australian driver's form is unrecognisable. Crashes, lack of pace, doubts, a podium-less streak that dates back to Monza, qualifying woes and Verstappen catching up to him in the Standings are the strongest evidence that Piastri is not yet mentally mature to be a world champion.

McLaren's sleeping giant woke too late

This is something Norris started coming to terms with throughout last year as well. And with his maturing process involving many mistakes, his mental fortitude was questioned by media, pundits, even Red Bull chief advisor Dr. Helmut Marko openly criticised it.

Despite winning the season opener in Australia, with Piastri’s spin giving him a neat points cushion, the Bristol born seemed to be up against it from the word go.

Mistakes in China, Japan, Bahrain, and a late Q3 crash in Saudi Arabia saw him relinquish the championship lead to Piastri, who grew it after Norris' crash in Canada and sub par performances in Miami, Spain and Belgium.

Photo: RacePictures

However, after the summer break, something switched on in Norris. Following what must have been a gutting DNF in Zandvoort, the Briton came back with a vengeance, hunting down Piastri and effectively deposing him as championship leader after a methodical win in Mexico. A perfect weekend in Brazil followed which seemed to tear Verstappen's title hopes asunder.

Why Verstappen is back in the fray

Verstappen is a very good driver, but he's not magical. He said so himself, he needed a lot of help to actually have a chance at the title. And a lot of help he's had already. Norris, McLaren's only true contender, has left 53 points on the table from both of his DNF’s and his Las Vegas GP DSQ.

It would be wrong to point to McLaren's management of their drivers, since despite the tight and tense fight both Norris and Piastri are in, peace reigns. One might argue that if anything Red Bull's dependence on Verstappen is what's making the team a one-driver outfit, writing them off as contenders for the Constructors', and forcing the reigning F1 champion to fend for himself in the Drivers' as well.

Photo: Race Pictures

The truth is that had Norris already fully matured by the start of the 2025 season, Verstappen’s title hopes would've been over already. But the Dutchman is the only driver out of the three to have fought for and won F1 titles in the past. He has the edge of experience, the patience, the mental composure to know in the flesh how long and gruelling a title fight truly is.

Norris, however, has the points lead, and so far, his mentality seems to have grown tougher. Tough enough to bounce back from the DSQ setback?

With a 24 points gap over Verstappen and Piastri with two weekends left to go, everything is wide open again in a championship that is as volatile as it is enthralling.

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