According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the title race for Max Verstappen is over this season. The Austrian believes that the Dutchman’s deficit to championship leader Lando Norris is already too large, meaning the World Cup will go to Woking this year. Although Wolff is impressed by the British driver, he does not yet think that Norris can start chilling the champagne: ‘One dropout and it swings the other way’.
With only three races left in 2025, the title fight is also increasingly reaching its climax. Lando Norris has a lead of 24 World Championship points over teammate Oscar Piastri and 49 points over reigning champion Max Verstappen ahead of the GP Las Vegas. The Brit won the last two Grands Prix in a dominant manner – Norris crossed the finish line in Mexico half a minute ahead of the rest of the field and was ten seconds ahead of second place Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Brazil – leading Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to draw only one conclusion for Verstappen.
“How many points behind is Max? That’s a done deal,” the Austrian tells Motorsport.com. Wolff then praises how McLaren is handling the internal title fight between its drivers. “I think they’re handling it very well,” the team boss continues. “It’s very good to let them race. I don’t see a situation where they would knock each other out in a race. I think they should just let them race, without making contact. But the lead that Lando now has is very solid.”
Impressive Norris
Yet, for the young Brit, it’s not entirely a done deal, predicts Wolff. “They can’t afford a dropout, because then it swings the other way,” says the Austrian. “From the spectators’ point of view, you would of course want them to start the last race with equal or comparable points. But he (Norris, ed.) was impressive in the last few races, how he kept his nerves under control and how he scored points.”
