With only a few races left, the Formula 1 World Championship is approaching a thrilling climax. As Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris closely trail each other, Max Verstappen has firmly re-entered the title fight. According to Ralf Schumacher, the McLarens should brace themselves: he is ‘quite certain’ that they will come under pressure from the reigning world champion in Brazil.
The World Championship is nearing its peak. Oscar Piastri is currently one point behind his teammate Lando Norris, after the Australian had held the championship lead since his victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on April 20, 2025. Max Verstappen has also firmly re-entered the title fight.
Ralf Schumacher is eagerly looking forward to the Grand Prix weekend in São Paulo, where, in addition to the main race, the penultimate sprint race of the season is also on the schedule. The former Formula 1 driver expects the reigning world champion in Brazil to leave nothing to chance. “I’m quite certain that Max will put a lot of pressure (on the McLarens) in Brazil,” says the German analyst in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast from Sky Sports. “I can imagine that he has a chance of winning there. Even under difficult circumstances, he has been incredibly fast. Of course, anything can happen.”
‘He Always Wants to Be the Fastest’
According to Schumacher, one of Verstappen’s greatest strengths is his pure instinct behind the wheel. “One of his strong points is that he hardly thinks. And I don’t mean that negatively. It boils down to him always wanting to be the fastest. As soon as he gets in the car, he wants to have fun and push the car and himself to the limit.”
Schumacher emphasizes that this attitude is crucial at this stage of the season to perform. “As a driver, you have to approach it this way. If you start a weekend full of doubts, it works against you.”
Gamechanger
At the same time, Schumacher expresses his appreciation for championship leader Norris. The German saw no trace of doubt in the Brit, but rather full confidence during the Grand Prix weekend in Mexico. “With Norris, I felt that this time it was different than usual. He needs to hold onto that. He needs to have fun and be a bit more relaxed about things, because he has the speed anyway.”
According to Schumacher, Zandvoort was ‘absolutely a gamechanger’ for the Brit. “After that, he realized he could be faster than Piastri, as long as he drove a bit more relaxed. He has worked hard on that, and he has now found the routines that help him,” Schumacher told the German branch of Sky Sports in Mexico City.
