As the 2025 Formula One World Championship season enters its final stretch, Max Verstappen remains mathematically in the race for the title, but the odds are stacking up against him.
In concrete terms, the Red Bull driver will need to win every race and either finish first or come extremely close to doing so. Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri are just above Max, with only 49 points separating first and third.
Verstappen will need to avoid mechanical failures or crashes and hope that the McLaren drivers have subpar weekends, resulting in lower finishes or DNFs. Max and his Red Bull Racing team have shown a marked resurgence in form after a period of relative struggle. They achieved back-to-back wins and have visibly improved the car’s balance, reduced understeer and oversteer issues.
In Sao Paulo, we watched him start from the pit lane and finish on the podium, and if his tyre had not been punctured near the beginning of the race, it could’ve been an even better outcome.
As the season comes to an end, Verstappen will need to dominate the last few races in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to reach maximum points. While the door is still open, Verstappen’s path to the title has little room for error. His past success shows that he can do it, but this time the hunt is on his shoulders, and the rivals are strong.
Will Max Verstappen secure his fifth consecutive Championship title, or will the streak end this season?
The top three in the table currently stand as;
F1 Championship Standings Drivers & Teams – 2025 Season
Lando Norris: 390
Oscar Piastri: 366
Max Verstappen: 341
George Russell: 276
Charles Leclerc: 214
When is the earliest that Lando Norris can take the title
After the McLaren driver dominated the last race in Sao Paulo, it was a perfect weekend for him. Where he stands now gives him a huge advantage of 24 points over his teammate, Oscar Piastri, with both drivers now having seven race titles this season.
The maximum number of points that are available across the remaining three races is 83, which is a total that a driver will achieve if they take the win in every remaining Grand Prix, as well as the final sprint race of the season in Qatar.
The earliest Norris can claim the World Championship title is at the Qatar sprint race. If he were to win the Las Vegas race and Piastri could not score points, the gap between them would be 49 points. This means that it would not be enough for Norris to claim the title straight away, given that 58 points would still be available after the Vegas Grand Prix. If this scenario were to unfold, the best position for Verstappen in the Vegas race would be to finish in second place, which would leave him with 359 points, still placing him in third position, seven points behind Piastri.
If Lando Norris wins the Las Vegas race, he would need to score two points above his teammate in the Qatar sprint race to claim the title. If Verstappen were to win the sprint race, his points would add up to 367, 50 points behind Norris.
In another scenario, if the McLaren driver fails to score points in the final two Grand Prixs in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and the Red Bull driver won them both, both drivers would end the season with equal points.
To conclude, Norris cannot claim the Championship title in Vegas. The Qatar sprint race is the earliest opportunity for the McLaren driver to claim the title.