Max Verstappen 2025 World Champion?

So IF Max wins the WDC title then:

You don't need a dominant car to win a title?

 

Piastri is always inconsistant.
Facts.
Norris is a well gifted driver with an immature teenager mindset.
Max is a killer with one of the best all time driving skills i have ever witnessed.
Your bets ?

 

not if you have dominant talent

 

Yeah, not gonna bet. Too many variables.

I can't imagine Max keeps the winning streak going. I can imagine that Piastri lost his marbles. Both of these thesis would lead to a Lando WDC but I don't want to bet $ on something I would hate to see happening.

 

History has shown that to be true. Its points not wins unless there is a tie.

 

True but i would never bet against Max Verstappen driving a pretty compétitive car.

 

Even if things are turning around, Max did not have the best car (by quite a margin) for a large part of the season - that's why he has a significant points deficit. Whether he will be able to overcome this points deficit before the season is over will depend on many factors, not only on his superior driving ability.

 

for 2nd year consecutively at least.

But 2025 car definitely worse than 24 was even.

 

I agree with that, but wonder if Piastri's recent lack of form isn't caused by team politics.

I still root for Piastri and it would be nice to have a different WDC to close this pivotal season.

Alternatively, Verstappen would be a deserving winner.

 

I was wondering about the team politics thing as well. Ever since they took away his lead at Monza, he seems to be crushed and lost his fire. I always thought he was a tough as nails Aussie who doesn't give a hoot, yet his driving now tells a different story.

 

Forget a dominant car, Max has been in the 4th best car most of the year. Hell, one could argue with facts that the Red Bull wasn't even a top 5 car for the middle part of the season.

To be fair, the 4th best car in 2025 is closer to the best car than the 2nd best car was to the Mercedes in 2014-16. But there are still 6+ cars capable of beating them each race on average.

I would say this would be the greatest championship ever won if he pulls it off. Alonso was very close to holding that crown in 2012 IMO.

 

We also have to keep in mind that this will be (by far) the biggest gap overcome ever in a championship (any championship of major open wheel races even??). Max has to overcome a 104 point gap. Biggest points gap has been 46 which as it would have it was...Max. Albeit this gap was early on in 2022, but he did close the gap and had a lead 5 races later.

 

I get what you're sayin BUT let me be the devil's advocate:

1) Number of races per year.
2) Points system has been different over certain era's.

So in essence, it has to be from a percentage point of view no?

 

I've not gone back to check the percentages but I think it will still be...

Yes more races over a season but we have to consider races to go then as well...someone can do the math.

 

5 rounds to go.

It's over for any one of the top 3 if any have a single DNF from now through the end of the season and the others don't

Oscar has been doing a great job keeping cool, but he's a bit too cool at the moment. Step it up. Very possibly his once-in-a-lifetime chance.

 

According to the conspiracy theorists here Piastri will be prevented from winning by his team. I think that’s bollocks. They just can’t stand the thought that Norris might actually out-drive him. I guess if PIA becomes champion they’ll claim he did it in spite of being hobbled by his team. I honestly don’t care between the two. I hope supermax wins. By I’m glad that Macca have won the WCC. They deserved it this year.

 

Compliments of chatGPT, gentlemen:

"From this comparison, if the numbers hold, Verstappen’s ~63% gap is substantially larger than the best historic example (Surtees ~48%). That suggests that, assuming he does win, this would indeed represent the largest comeback by percentage of available points in F1 history (at least among well‑documented cases).

There are caveats:

• Our “points available remaining” estimate is approximate. If the actual number of maximum points remaining was higher (e.g., more sprints) then the percentage might drop somewhat.
  
  
• The exact moment of measurement (when the gap was 104 points) may not line up exactly with a comparable “with X races remaining” benchmark in older seasons.
  
  
• Historical data may miss some comebacks (especially older ones) or make different halfway‑point assumptions.
  
  
• The points system and number of races vary a lot between eras, so even percentage comparisons are imperfect.

But given the best available data, yes — if Verstappen wins from that 104‑point deficit with ~5 races to go, it very likely would be the largest documented comeback in F1 history in terms of percentage swing of remaining points."

 

Thank-you. [Thumbs-up emoji]

 

This thread is making F1 exciting! I hope it happens.

 

I'm not believing in a conspiracy. I'm sure McLaren is fair. They have already done the damage with the Monza Papaya ruling. That was beyond idiotic and Oscar should have ignored it. Hindsight is 20/20 but if he had known that Lando will drive into him in Singapore, I'm sure he wouldn't have followed team orders in Monza. Too late now.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

2026 brings new rules and new cars. The McLaren advantage might suddenly be over (it seemed over actually since a few races already).

It would be nice to have another Australian WDC. I loved Alan Jones and it's about time they have another one. As for Lando, there are already enough British WDCs.

 

yes, it seems like smuggy chubby reminded him of the you're the second driver clause in his contract, take some dives and let the chosen, entitled one win. not a conspiracy, contractual reality.

 

I feel like I need a shower just reading that.

 

Mclaren have been taking their sweet time coming to terms with major rule changes haven't they. Their brake duct solution is both good and bad, it's made for a quick car with a numb front end which Piastri likes but Lando only manages, but I do feel Lando is the faster driver even though I can't stand him.

Anyone else see a possible Leclerc and Piastri swap if Piastri wins the WDC and the Mclaren is a dog next year? Charlie won't bag a WDC with Ferrari, Piastri won't either, but he doesn't know that yet. Every great driver believes they're going to be the person to bag a WDC with Ferrari, and it takes a solid 3-5 seasons for them to figure out it's folly. I believe Max is the only one who could possibly drag Ferrari out, but these days it takes more than just a driver and few good team leads.

 

Bas did maths and now I am excited for F1 again.

Nothing makes sense anymore.

LOL