David Coulthard names one key reason Max Verstappen may still be in F1 title fight

David Coulthard believes Max Verstappen only needs a substantial upgrade to his Red Bull Formula 1 car to reignite his bid for the 2025 drivers’ title.

Verstappen was always an outside contender for this year’s championship, with the opening races of the season making it clear that Red Bull had fallen further behind its direct rivals.

But his title hopes suffered further setbacks with a retirement in Austria and a fifth-place finish at Silverstone, leaving him 69 points adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri at the halfway mark of the season.

Coulthard conceded that Verstappen’s chances of winning a fifth straight F1 crown look difficult as things stand, given the mounting deficit Red Bull faces to McLaren.

David Coulthard won't "rule out" Max Verstappen

However, he believes the Dutchman can still stage an upset on Piastri and Lando Norris if Red Bull can deliver him a car that is more consistent and easier to drive in the remainder of the season.

“You can’t rule Max out,” Coulthard told the official F1 website. “I think for the championship, we all know it’s going to take an upgrade to unlock some performance.

“Where Red Bull are right now, and if they were frozen, it’s difficult to imagine that the second half of the season circuits are suddenly going to suit the Red Bull better than the first half.

“It will take an upgrade from Red Bull to give him the consistency. Are they capable of doing it? Absolutely. Have they done it before? Yes. Is Max exceptional? Absolutely.”

David Coulthard on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's rivalry

While Verstappen has scored two against-the-odds wins so far, much of the season has been dominated by McLaren duo Piastri and Norris.

Although Piastri is the less experienced of the two, he leads the championship by eight points going into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, backed by wins in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami and Spain.

Norris, on the other hand, has made costly errors at critical times this year, although back-to-back victories in Austria and Britain have shown he is capable of mounting a fightback.

Coulthard expects a close contest between the McLaren pair this year, likening their rivalry to Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s epic duel in the 2021 season.

“If it was half a World Championship, Oscar’s won,” said Coulthard.

“I don’t think anyone could say he hasn’t deserved to be leading – he was leading before [the McLarens] came together in Canada. But if Lando turns it around in the second half of the season, he’s doing it against someone that’s a talented third year F1 driver.

“It’s a bit like 2021, where some people are still so vocal about what happened - only one driver could win. Both Max and Lewis drove like World Champions that year, but only one of them could have the title.”

He added: “This could also be their only chance to win a world title; we don’t know what 2026 brings, we don’t know what the future is, so you’ve got to seize the moment.

“That’s why I’m really impressed with how Oscar has stepped up this year. But Lando’s response over the last two races is showing his quality as well. I think it’s going to be one of those things where both of them deserve it, but only one can get it.”