With Oscar Piastri crashing out on the opening lap and Lando Norris only able to salvage six points, Verstappen now sits 69 points behind the championship leader and 44 behind his McLaren rival with seven rounds remaining.
With three sprint races still to come, 199 points are still up for grabs — making a title charge possible, but far from straightforward.
“Seven races to go and it’s still 69 points, it’s a lot,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“Basically, everything needs to go perfect from my side and then a bit of luck from their side I need as well. So it’s still very tough.”
The Red Bull driver’s back-to-back wins at Monza and Baku have seen him score more points than any other driver since the summer break.
It is a stark turnaround from the mid-season slump earlier this year that saw him fail to finish on the podium in four consecutive races across Monaco, Spain, Canada, and Austria for the first time since 2018.
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Red Bull’s floor upgrades appear to have played a key role, with Verstappen noting his car is “doing pretty much what I wanted it to do” and praising the team’s improved understanding of the car.
“I don’t rely on hope, so I personally don’t think about it. I just go race by race, what I have been doing basically the whole season — just trying to do the best we can, try to score the most points that we can. Then after Abu Dhabi, we’ll know,” he added.
While Verstappen’s form is undeniable, Red Bull cannot control McLaren’s results.
The Baku meltdown — one of several errors and misfortunes that have plagued Piastri and Norris this season — was crucial in giving Verstappen a lifeline.
If McLaren returns to form in the upcoming rounds, the gap could widen again quickly, leaving Verstappen’s championship hopes reliant not just on his own flawless performances, but also on continued McLaren missteps.
It is a scenario reminiscent of last season, when Lando Norris was considered a title outsider despite McLaren’s pace advantage.
Verstappen’s resurgence may be coming too late to fully close the gap, but the door remains ajar.
“The last two race weekends have been amazing,” Verstappen said.
“It’s just a lot of combination of a lot of things that are going better in the last few weeks.”
Red Bull’s ethos is clear: focus on maximum results and keep pressure on McLaren. But for fans, it’s less straightforward.
Should Verstappen be considered a genuine title contender if McLaren avoids further errors — or does Baku show that luck and circumstance are as pivotal as pace?
So we’re asking: Is Verstappen still in title contention after McLaren’s meltdown?
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