Following his consecutive victories at the Italian and Azerbaijani Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is once again in contention for the world title. Despite a significant gap of 69 championship points behind leader Oscar Piastri, colleagues of both men believe that the Australian and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris should certainly be wary of the Dutchman.
During the press conference preceding the Singapore Grand Prix, the recent success of current world champion Max Verstappen was a topic of discussion. The various drivers were asked to assess the chances of a fifth world title for the Dutchman, with seven more Grand Prix weekends to go in 2025.
“There is definitely a chance, so more than zero percent,” responds another key player in the title fight, Lando Norris. The driver was asked to express Verstappen’s chance of the world title in a percentage. Esteban Ocon echoes Norris’s analysis. “We all know Max, and we all know how dangerous he is when there’s something to win,” says the Frenchman. “There is definitely a good chance of a fifth world title for him if he has a competitive car until the end of the year.”
‘One Hundred Percent Chance’
George Russell then ups the ante. “One hundred percent chance,” the British driver jokes. The Mercedes driver is also asked for a percentage regarding the chances of the Red Bull driver. Charles Leclerc takes the question a bit more seriously than the Brit. “I think the chance is twenty percent,” says the Monegasque. “The gap is quite large and Red Bull was particularly strong on low downforce tracks, like Monza and Baku. I expect McLaren to bounce back during the rest of the season.”
Isack Hadjar – a driver for Racing Bulls, the sister team of Verstappen’s Red Bull – estimates the Dutchman’s chances even lower. “I agree with Charles, but twenty percent seems too high. I would say ten percent.” Alexander Albon rounds off the series: “Then I’ll go for a fifteen percent chance. A collision between Lando and Oscar, and everything is wide open again.”
