The final race weekend of a thrilling season in Formula 1 is now upon us, and Max Verstappen has something ‘in his back pocket’ to make sure he beats Lando Norris to the title and walks away as a five-time world champion.
Max Verstappen needs to outscore Lando Norris by 13 points in order for him to be crowned as the 2025 Formula 1 world champion.
He has been in fine form as of late. Unlike the rest of the grid, Red Bull have continued to upgrade their 2025 challenger into the latter stages of the season, which has given the Dutchman an edge over his rivals in the title race.
However, Verstappen still needs to get the job done on track at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
It’s a circuit he’s dominated in the past, winning four consecutive Grands Prix between 2020 and 2024, and James Hinchcliffe thinks he has a little something ‘in his back pocket’ to ensure he walks away as the champion.
James Hinchcliffe thinks Max Verstappen’s past experience in title fights is his secret weapon at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Ahead of the weekend’s running at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, James Hinchliffe and Jolyon Palmer got together to discuss the championship showdown that will ensue on Sunday in an episode of the F1 Nation podcast.
Norris put up half of a title fight against Verstappen last year, but the current campaign marks Piastri’s first time competing for a championship in Formula 1.
The 24-year-old found success in Formula 2 and Formula 3 during his junior single-seater racing days, but neither of those compares to the intensity of fighting Verstappen for a world championship.
Hinchcliffe alluded to this in his comments, saying, “The interesting thing about this situation is you’ve got two drivers that have never been in this position at the Formula 1 level, with a team that’s not been in this position for quite some time against a driver and a team that have done it four years on the trot.
“So, from a dealing with pressure and an almost psychological standpoint, Max has the advantage, no doubt, and that is a very clear advantage.
“It’s not a quantifiable thing, but it is absolutely something that he has in his back pocket coming into this weekend.”
Max Verstappen could become the second driver in history to have won five consecutive F1 world championships
If the 28-year-old does manage to get the job done this weekend, he will join the exclusive club of F1 champions who have won five titles on the bounce.
The only current man to do so is Michael Schumacher, who cemented himself in single-seater folklore with his highly successful stint at Ferrari.
The legendary German driver won all five of his titles with the Scuderia between 2000 and 2004, with his final two feats putting him in uncharted territory as a seven-time world champion.
Lewis Hamilton has since matched the feat through his dominant collaboration with Mercedes. The Brit managed to win four titles on the bounce between 2017 and 2020, and maybe should have matched the feat in 2021, if not for a highly controversial ending to that year’s championship.
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