Verstappen's tiny chance to pip Piastri for title

AS Formula 1 charges into the final stretch of the 2025 season, McLaren’s dominance since the mid-season break has painted a picture few thought possible at the start of the year.

- JEHRAN NAIDOO

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have led the way, turning the papaya-orange cars into the benchmark for consistency and raw pace. Yet, in the background, the reigning champion Max Verstappen remains an outside contender with a less than one in a thousand chance of beating Piastri on points.

After his win at Baki, the question is: could Verstappen really pull off a near impossible comeback and snatch the title from McLaren’s new star, Oscar Piastri?

On paper, the task seems insurmountable. Piastri sits on 324 points, Norris on 299, while Verstappen trails in third with 255. That leaves a 69-point deficit between the Red Bull driver and the current leader with just seven Grand Prix races and three sprint events left on the calendar.

With a maximum of 199 points still available, the Dutchman’s pursuit is more a statistical curiosity than a realistic expectation.

Still, Verstappen’s experience cannot be dismissed.

Unlike Norris and Piastri, he has been through the crucible of championship-deciding battles multiple times, prevailing in three consecutive campaigns from 2021 to 2023.