Max Verstappen sets out “win everything” target to have chance of 2025 F1 title
Max Verstappen thinks he will need to win all of the remaining races to have a shot at the title
Max Verstappen has admitted he will need to have “perfect weekends” to have any chance of winning the 2025 F1 title.
Verstappen could only finish third at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
With four rounds to go, Verstappen sits 36 points behind Lando Norris, who dominated the race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Red Bull were clearly second-best on race day, with Norris winning by more than 30 seconds.
A strong final stint put Verstappen within touching distance of Charles Leclerc.
However, a late Virtual Safety Car - triggered by Carlos Sainz’s stricken Williams - meant Verstappen was unable to challenge Leclerc on the final lap.
Speaking to Viaplay after the race, Verstappen said: “The second stint went better. But ultimately you compare yourself to the McLarens, not the rest.
“We’re still lacking there, of course. On the mediums they were slower [against my softs], but if you take the average over the whole race, we’re still too slow. It’s been like that all weekend.”
“We just have to win everything”
Heading into Mexico, Verstappen was the in-form driver, winning three of the previous four races.
Red Bull transformed the RB21 with a series of upgrades, making it more driveable and, more importantly, to Verstappen’s liking.
However, Verstappen struggled in Mexico, qualifying fifth and blaming a lack of grip.
It was noticeable from his onboards that he was struggling with high-speed corner balance.
On race day, Verstappen ran as low as eighth after making his pit stop before mounting an impressive recovery during the final stint on the soft tyres.
Verstappen conceded that he will have to win every race to have any hope of beating the McLaren duo to the title.
“It’s a big gap,” he added. “As I said, I need to have perfect weekends and we didn’t have that this weekend. That makes the task even more difficult. Is it possible for the Dutchman to still win the title? Statistically, yes.
“But from now on we just have to win everything. If we don’t, it’s simply not going to happen.”
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