Charles Leclerc weighs in on 2025 F1 title race with “surprised” Max Verstappen verdict

Charles Leclerc has admitted that he would be “really surprised” if Max Verstappen beats the McLaren duo to the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship.

Verstappen has taken back-to-back victories in Monza and Baku.

It means the four-time F1 world champion now sits 69 points behind Oscar Piastri with seven rounds to go.

As a result, all of the talk has been whether Verstappen could win the title amid Red Bull’s resurgence.

Red Bull’s up-turn in form has been put down to a significant floor upgrade.

However, question marks remain over whether Red Bull can beat McLaren at a wide range of circuits.

McLaren have struggled at the last two rounds, relatively speaking.

Monza and Baku require a low downforce setup, while tyre wear in both races was not high.

McLaren’s strength this year has been on mid-to-high downforce circuits where tyre degradation has been higher due to sweltering track temperatures.

As a result, the Singapore Grand Prix next weekend will be a key test to see whether Verstappen is truly back in the fight.

Leclerc on 2025 F1 title race

Verstappen cut Piastri’s lead by 25 points in Azerbaijan following a shocking weekend for the Australian.

Piastri crashed out in Q3, leaving him ninth on the grid.

His grand prix ended on Lap 1 after a jump start before crashing into the barriers again.

Speaking to Formulae1, Leclerc praised Verstappen for doing “fantastic right now”, but backed either Piastri or Lando Norris for the title.

“I think Max is doing fantastic right now. Hats off to him. I’d be really surprised if Max wins. It’s definitely going to be Oscar or Lando this year,” Leclerc said.

Norris has conceded Las Vegas will be another weekend where McLaren will likely struggle.

However, on paper, the other six Grands Prix should play into the strengths of the MCL39.

Leclerc is doubtful that Red Bull “will dominate again” despite Verstappen’s recent success.

“I really don’t think Max is leaving anything behind, I’m sure of that,” Leclerc added.

“They’ve clearly made a step forward with that car and are now at a really high level.

“It’s a close call between McLaren and Red Bull. The last two weekends weren’t particularly strong for McLaren, but I don’t think Red Bull will dominate again.”