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Max Verstappen’s F1 title hunt heads to São Paulo and every lap counts
Oracle Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen still has a shot at the F1 Drivers’ Championship. With only a few races left, here’s where he can turn things around.
Things can change very quickly in the Formula One World Championship standings. Just a matter of weeks ago, the Drivers' Championship was a two-horse race between the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After some brilliantly assured performances and a bunch of points, Max Verstappen has forced his way back into contention for the world championship title, but there are only a few races left.
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. “On a difficult weekend, to be on the podium for us is a great result,” Verstappen said afterwards.
Verstappen took P3 in Mexico: a good result, but he will have wanted more
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In Mexico, Verstappen managed to close the gap to the championship leaders, now just 36 points behind Norris, who narrowly leads Piastri by a single point.
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Current F1 driver standings ahead of São Paulo
- Lando Norris - McLaren - 357
- Oscar Piastri - McLaren - 356
- Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing - 321
“It doesn't matter what they [McLaren] do. It's up to us to be perfect until the end of the season,” Verstappen told media previously. These are the next races that he and his team need to own – and how he has performed at them in the past.
A big Austin weekend put Max Verstappen back in the title race
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
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The remaining races on the 2025 F1 calendar
- Brazil Grand Prix, São Paulo: November 7–9
- Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas: November 20–22
- Qatar Grand Prix, Losail: November 28–30
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina: December 5–7
São Paulo Grand Prix: The next showdown
São Paulo saw one of Verstappen's greatest-ever victories
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
While Verstappen has won the last two São Paulo Grands Prix in Brazil, it has traditionally been an unpredictable race. The weather is often changeable and the fast corners can benefit cars you'd often find fighting for points further back. “In Brazil, the weather can be extremely unpredictable, especially at this circuit,” says Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer at Oracle Red Bull Racing. “Just take last year, for example.” She explains that the team uses Oracle Cloud Technology to help them gather and asses the data to make the best strategic calls.
The São Paulo Grand Prix is also where Verstappen delivered one of the most talked-about performances of his career. Starting from P17, he charged through the field and went on to take victory – a drive that many fans still regard as one of the greatest comebacks in modern Formula One history.
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“We just try to do everything we can until the end,” Verstappen told the media ahead of the race. “Thirty-six points is still a decent gap,” he added. “If we want to close that down further, we need to be ahead consistently now.”
São Paulo Grand Prix – circuit quick facts
- Circuit length: 4.309 km
- Laps: 71 (anti-clockwise)
- Corners: 15
- DRS zones: 2 (Drag Reduction System zones allow drivers to reduce aerodynamic drag on certain straights for easier overtaking)
- Lap times: Among the shortest on the F1 calendar, second only to the Austrian Grand Prix
Las Vegas Grand Prix, November 20–22
Next, is the much-maligned Las Vegas race weekend on November 23. It's hard to glean much from the event's history, considering it's only been held twice. However, Verstappen won its first-ever iteration, so he'll be confident he can score big points once more. If he can be within 10 to 20 points of the leader by the end of this weekend, he'll be in with a huge chance of coming out with his fifth championship.
Verstappen has won in Las Vegas once and claimed the 2024 title there also
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
The final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be a thrilling title decider
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Qatar Grand Prix, November 28–30: A tight fight
The penultimate Grand Prix is Qatar on November 30, where Verstappen has won the last two, dominating each time, so there's no reason it can't happen again. The McLarens were fast here last year, too, so he'll need to be on top of his game.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, December 5–7: The grand finale
The final race of 2025 may be the most interesting of the five remaining. Verstappen has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix four of the last five times. He's been consistently strong here, but Lando Norris's win in 2024 might still be at the forefront of his mind.
The final two races of the F1 calendar have the potential to be the most exciting, as they're strong circuits for both championship rival teams. Verstappen needs to narrow the gap as much as he can before then to be in with a good chance of completing the points overhaul.
And as he says, it doesn't really matter how McLaren performs. He will be hoping that the internal squabbles continue and they maybe collide with each other again, but Verstappen can do no more than continue to win.
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What could take Verstappen out of the championship race?
Max Verstappen and Laurent Mekies in the Red Bull Racing garage
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
What will be a disaster is if Verstappen doesn’t finish a race and one of the McLarens wins. He needs to keep his car on the track, stay out of trouble and focus on his own driving. The way he's driving right now, it's only other drivers who can stop him from racking up more and more points in the coming weeks. Verstappen simply needs to keep the pressure on as we approach the final couple of race weekends.
