With just four races left in the 2025 season, Max Verstappen is back in the title hunt.
Verstappen was trailing by 104 points after his home race in Zandvoort, and even he admitted at the time that it looked like too much ground to make up. But Red Bull’s recent form has pulled him back into contention.
Verstappen has won three of the last five races and has been on the podium in six straight. That run has cut the gap to Lando Norris, now sitting just 36 points ahead with 116 still available.
While other teams have started shifting their focus towards new regulations coming in 2026, Red Bull haven’t taken their foot off the pedal this year. Under team principal Laurent Mekies, they’ve continued to develop the RB21, giving Verstappen more tools to work with down the stretch.
If he pulls it off, especially against two McLaren drivers who have led most of the season, it would go down as one of his most impressive achievements yet.
Max Verstappen claims ‘bad luck’ is only thing stopping him from 2025 title
Verstappen’s approach to the season has taken a clear turn. Not long ago, he saw himself as an outsider to Norris and Piastri. Now, with form swinging his way, he’s started to believe there’s a real path to another title.
Speaking via The Inside Track, journalist Matt Majendie mentioned that the 28-year-old feels that only ‘bad luck’ could stand in the way of another championship.
He said: “And he’s got amazing self-belief as well. I spoke to him in Mexico and [I] asked him what’s the one thing that could stop you winning the title? And he just said: ‘Bad luck’, which I think sort of sums up, he didn’t mention the McLaren drivers. I thought that was sort of him in a nutshell.
“And you just came out and said: ‘Yeah, all the momentum is with me. I could probably win this championship. Why not?’
“And you think it’s really interesting because in the run-up to that race, we had been so kind of on play by play because it doesn’t play by PR handbook as is well known.
She continued: “But it was kind of like: ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like look at McLaren who are doing good jobs like we’re there or thereabouts’. I’ll go out our race our CEO happens,” she continued.
Red Bull holding off 2026 driver call to keep Verstappen focused on title race
Ralf Schumacher has pointed out that Verstappen needs to be flawless over the remaining four races if he’s going to catch McLaren. While momentum might be shifting, closing a 36-point gap is still a big ask.
This could be why Red Bull are holding off on their 2026 driver decisions. Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda is out of contract at the end of the year and, after picking up just 25 points in 18 races, is facing the possibility of falling out of F1 altogether.
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The expectation is that Isack Hadjar will move into Tsunoda’s seat, while Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are likely to form the Racing Bulls lineup. Even so, nothing has been finalised yet, and there’s no rush from within the team to make it official.
Red Bull want Verstappen fully focused on his championship push and aren’t interested in creating any unnecessary distractions right now. They also need Tsunoda locked in as they try to hold off Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ standings.
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