Ralf Schumacher: Max Verstappen’s form could boost Lando Norris’ F1 title bid

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher is confident Lando Norris can take advantage of Max Verstappen’s resurgence in form following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen has taken back-to-back victories in Monza and Baku to move to just 69 points behind Oscar Piastri with seven rounds to go.

Red Bull have unlocked performance with a series of upgrades, particularly around the floor.

Red Bull are also listening to Verstappen’s feedback and making setup changes based on that, rather than the usual lying solely on data.

Red Bull’s renewed form has led to suggestions that Verstappen might be back in the F1 title fight.

The big test will be whether Red Bull maintain their level of performance next time out in Singapore.

Singapore requires a high-downforce setup – and track conditions will be significantly warmer.

As a result, it’s expected that McLaren will return to the front of the field in dominant fashion.

However, if Red Bull are back to being comfortable as the second-best team, Verstappen could have a major say in the 2025 F1 title race.

Norris has “realistic chance”

McLaren endured their worst weekend of the season last time out in Azerbaijan.

Norris finished seventh after a lacklustre race.

Still, he gained six points on Piastri, who crashed out on the opening lap of the race.

Schumacher sees Verstappen’s return to form as a positive for Norris’ title chances.

Schumacher said on Sky Sport Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast: “Lando sees a bit of light at the end of the tunnel again. Max is here, and he can now take points away, which wasn’t the case before.

“That’s also very important in this situation. If Lando manages to drive a good race and Max finishes between him and Oscar Piastri, he still has a realistic chance.”

Norris did receive some criticism for his race drive as he lost needless positions to Isack Hadjar and then Charles Leclerc early on.

Another slow McLaren pit stop arguably cost Norris fifth, as he was unable to overcut Leclerc.

This also meant he couldn’t undercut Yuki Tsunoda, who stopped one lap later.

Schumacher defended Norris for driving a “flawless” race.

“In my opinion, that wasn’t enough. Lando could have gotten more out of it,” Schumacher added. “He should have been further up in qualifying. That would have made a difference. The race usually builds up quite differently. He still has to work on that.

“Nevertheless, unlike his teammate, he drove a flawless race. He tried, but didn’t take any risks. So, hats off to him. Lando was also pleased that Oscar, who has occasionally thrown some jabs at him, made a mistake himself.”