Category: sports

Max Verstappen cut the gap in the drivers’ championship with a dominant pole-to-win performance in Baku, while title leader Oscar Piastri suffered his first DNF of the season on the opening lap. The result tightened the standings and prompted former world champion Jacques Villeneuve to sound a warning to Piastri: he should worry more about Verstappen than Lando Norris.

Norris could only manage seventh and failed to capitalize on his teammate’s trouble. His struggles began on Saturday in a chaotic qualifying session that produced six red flags. After brushing the wall in Sector 2, he lost rhythm and settled for seventh on the grid, leaving him stuck in the midfield for much of the race on Sunday.

Villeneuve was blunt in his assessment after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “At worst, Norris should have finished second. An anonymous race for him. If I were Piastri, I’d be more afraid of Verstappen than of Norris,” he said. Villeneuve’s point was clear: after a messy qualifying in Baku and a tricky race weekend, Max Verstappen’s form is the bigger threat.

The Red Bull driver took pole and led every lap in Baku, converting a tricky qualifying into a controlled race win, following the same dominant performance last time out at Monza.

Oscar Piastri’s weekend, however, fell apart after a Q3 crash forced overnight repairs. Then came a jump-start on the grid, an anti-stall sequence, and a late lock-up into Turn 5 that left him in the wall on lap one and out of the race.

Norris started P7 after a disrupted qualifying and spent much of the race stuck behind Yuki Tsunoda in a DRS train, finishing seventh.

### Championship Standings Tighten

The title fight is now finely poised. Piastri leads with 324 points, Norris trails with 299, and Verstappen has climbed to 255. Villeneuve’s point remains clear: Verstappen has the momentum and pace to turn tricky weekends into maximum points, making him the bigger late-season threat—even if Norris is in a superior car.

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### Why Max Verstappen Is Unlikely to Win the 2025 Drivers’ Title

With seven rounds left, the maximum points haul available to a driver is 199 points: 25 points from seven Grands Prix and 24 points from three sprint events. Verstappen is currently 69 points behind Piastri.

Even if the Dutchman won all remaining events, his total would reach 454 points. Should Piastri finish third in each race, he would end on 447 points—a narrow margin but enough to hold the crown.

The last time a similar comeback occurred was in 2007, when Kimi Räikkönen overcame a 16-point gap to rookie Lewis Hamilton in the final five races. While today’s points system offers larger totals, the principle remains—the deficit requires relentless wins and rivals’ faltering.

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### McLaren’s Outlook and the Season Ahead

McLaren principal Andrea Stella has acknowledged the shift in momentum. While Red Bull’s upgrades in Monza and Baku helped Verstappen, the calendar still favors the papaya cars. Tracks like Singapore, Qatar, and Mexico—known for high downforce—have benefitted McLaren all year.

Norris, meanwhile, stands to benefit if Piastri falters again. His consistency throughout the year and strong qualifying form at technical tracks make him the likelier challenger in the season run-in.

This confidence is shared within McLaren, where the team believes the MCL39’s season-long pace will prevail.

Piastri himself brushed aside concerns after Baku over Verstappen’s resurgence. He still leads the championship and has time to steady himself before the final push.

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### Conclusion

For now, Max Verstappen’s back-to-back poles and wins have sharpened the title fight and forced McLaren to confront fresh pressure. But unless the papaya team unravels, the numbers and upcoming circuits suggest that a late title swing is more unlikely than inevitable.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/news-former-f1-champion-insists-oscar-piastri-more-afraid-max-verstappen-mclaren-teammate-lando-norris