For most of the 2025 Formula 1 season, it was a foregone conclusion that the World Drivers' Championship race would come down to McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who have benefited from an overwhelmingly superior car this season in comparison to the rest of the field.
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While McLaren has been at the forefront, reigning four-time champion Max Verstappen has lurked behind in the shadows.
It was apparent from the opening round in Australia that Red Bull lacked the historic pace that Verstappen pushed to an unprecedented string of dominance, but the Dutchman has done just enough this season to give him a slice of life with three races left.
Although Verstappen still trails Norris by 49 points and Piastri by 25 points, the fact that he still has a chance to steal a fifth consecutive title is borderline unfathomable given where he and Red Bull stood after the Hungarian Grand Prix in early August.
At that point, Verstappen had just two wins and three other podium finishes through 14 rounds. Since finishing ninth in Hungary, Verstappen has landed on seven consecutive podiums and has won three of the past six races.
"It doesn't really change (my approach)," Verstappen said of the recent results. "I mean, it's a lot of points (behind the leaders), so I'm not really thinking about it too much. There's also not much that I can do. We need a lot of luck now until the end to even have an opportunity."
For Verstappen, the main goal is simply to maximise the car.
"It's been a good season for sure," he said. "I think every season you want to try and be better, which is not always easy, but you try to be more consistent and try to really optimize everything that you can with the car. I think most of the time we did that, so I'm pleased with that. But yeah, I mean, it's not where I wanted it to be for most of the season."
At the very least, Verstappen won't be having a championship celebration on the Las Vegas Strip as he did last November after clinching the title with a fifth-place finish in the late-night grand prix. After that race, Verstappen shared a moment with Norris and told him that his time was soon to come.
With Norris inching closer to a first World Drivers' Championship exactly a year later, it appears that statement might have been prophetic.
"What I said last year, I meant," Verstappen said. "Simple as that. There's nothing that I lied about. Sometimes you just need to be even patient and wait for your moment."