Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Max Verstappen is on a roll: this is what he has to do to win the title
Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing pulled off a perfect weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but can they still win the title? Yes, they can, and here's how it could be done.
The 2025 Formula One season is well into its end game, with the racing world focused on the penultimate GP of the year in Qatar this weekend. Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen’s early-season struggles saw them playing catch-up to McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the title race. Things, however, have looked very different since the summer break and after a spectacular result in Las Vegas last weekend - Verstappen won and both title rivals were disqualified - they’re certainly not giving up hope of him winning the driver’s championship for a fifth time.
01
What's happened since the summer break?
Verstappen reeled in his rivals by 25 points in Vegas
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After coming second in his home Dutch Grand Prix in the first race back after the break, Verstappen then won back-to-back races, finishing on the top step of the podium at Monza and Baku.
In Singapore, he had to settle for second, but still ate into the McLaren drivers' lead by finishing ahead of both of them.
Celebrating another win in Baku
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In Austin, at the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen looked unstoppable, taking victory in both the sprint and main race with the calm assurance of a four-time world champion. But in Mexico, things were tougher. Starting from fifth on the grid, he fought hard to finish third behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc in what turned out to be a damage-limitation exercise.
The Brazilian GP in São Paulo ended up as another salvage operation after frustrations in Qualifying, albeit one of the most spectacular drives we've ever seen from Verstappen. Starting from the pit lane after installing a new power unit, the Dutchman clawed his way back to finish third after a truly brilliant performance. He lost ground to Norris in the title race, but it could have been significantly more costly.
From last place to third – Max celebrates with his team
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And then came Vegas, where Verstappen put in a commanding performance, taking the lead from pole-sitter Norris early and controlling the race all the way to the chequered flag. He came home with a 20-second cushion, as Norris was forced to ease off in the final laps with fuel issues.
But what really breathed new life into the title fight happened hours after the race had finished: both McLaren drivers were disqualified for excessive skid block wear on their cars. That disqualification disrupted not just the Vegas results, but the championship standings too, as Verstappen closed the gap dramatically.
02
A psychological advantage?
World title number three was sealed under lights in Doha in 2023
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Max may have momentum, but he has another key advantage over his papaya-coloured rivals as well. Both Piastri and Norris would be first-time world champions, should one of them finish the year on the top step, but Max has been there and done it before. He knows how to deal with a close championship, and is familiar with the pressure and what it takes to get over the line.
Now is the time to take advantage of his form and keep the pressure on his closest opponents. Win at Qatar this weekend, and again in Abu Dhabi on December 7, and all the pressure will be on the McLaren duo. Who knows how Norris and Piastri will react if the standings get closer still after Qatar, and the chance will be there for Max to win his fifth championship the following weekend.
03
What the current driver standings look like
A fifth F1 title could still be on for Verstappen
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Before the start of the Qatar GP weekend, the drivers championship top five is as follows.
- Lando Norris - McLaren - 390 points
- Oscar Piastri - Mclaren - 366 points
- Max Verstappen - Red Bull - 366 points
- George Russell - Mercedes - 294 points
- Charles Leclerc - Ferrari - 226 points
04
What has to happen now?
The final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be a thrilling title decider
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In a nutshell, Verstappen has to outscore Piastri by one or more points and Norris by 24 over the two remaining races. If the Dutchman wins both, he will finish ahead of Piastri - that much is fairly simple - but Norris will need to drop some significant points. With 25 points on offer for a win, another disqualification would certainly be helpful. There are too many combinations of potential results to list, but essentially, if Norris outscores Verstappen by two or more points in either race weekend, he will take the title. It really is all or nothing for Max now, but we've seen him pull off the impossible before.
Here's what to expect from the last two races:
Qatar Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi GP
05
When to watch the Qatar GP
Verstappen takes on the Sprint in Qatar
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For the Qatar Grand Prix, you’ll need to be ready to tune in at the following times.
- Free Practice 1 - November 28, 2.30pm CET (1.30pm UTC)
- Sprint Qualifying - November 28, 6.30pm CET (5.30pm UTC)
- Sprint Race - November 29, 3pm CET (2pm UTC)
- Qualifying - November 29, 7pm CET (6pm UTC)
- Race - November 30, 5pm CET (4pm UTC)
