Many expect Verstappen to beat Norris in 2025 F1 standings as Piastri holds lead

There are still seven races left and Verstappen has moved back into title contention. Helmut Marko suggested that if Verstappen is quick around Singapore, it could start to make McLaren nervous – especially with how his recent form has affected Norris’ title hopes.

Why Verstappen climbing above Norris may be more likely than Norris catching Piastri

Norris has only made up nine points on Piastri over the last two races, failing to capitalise on his teammate’s missteps in Baku. Meanwhile, Verstappen appears to be back in form at Red Bull, benefiting from greater flexibility with strategy and setup.

Despite the 69-point gap between him and Piastri making a title push unlikely, journalist Laurence Edmondson told Pit Pass F1 that there are growing doubts about Norris’ chances of overhauling the deficit before the season’s end.

“I just don’t think it was the performance that Norris needed at this stage in the season,” Edmondson said after the race in Baku.

“If you look at the trend of the last two races, I’m trying not to get myself too zoned in on what’s happened over the last two races.

“But there’s a lot of people now saying that Max is going to finish ahead of Norris in the championship, as a more realistic possibility than Norris beating Piastri. “And based on what we saw on the weekend, it’s hard to argue with that.”

McLaren keeping an eye on Max Verstappen’s form in the 2025 title race

McLaren’s weekend in Baku didn’t go to plan, picking up just six points and missing out on a chance to close the gap in the constructors’ standings.

Norris has only gained nine points on Piastri over the past two races. He missed another opportunity to take advantage of his teammate’s mistakes in Baku, while Verstappen’s resurgence at Red Bull continues, helped by more freedom with strategy and setup.

His 69-point gap to Piastri might be too much for him to mount a serious title challenge. But journalist Laurence Edmondson says ‘a lot of people’ think Verstappen stands a ‘more realistic’ chance of beating Norris than the McLaren star does beating his teammate.

Pit stop issues continue to trouble McLaren, and they’ll need to sort them out quickly if Norris is going to make up ground. Even without the slow stop in Baku, though, the MCL39 didn’t have the pace to match Verstappen over race distance.

Andrea Stella noted after the race that Red Bull have closed the development gap. While McLaren are aware of Verstappen’s current form, upcoming tracks like COTA and Mexico City could play more to their strengths.

Red Bull have struggled historically at Singapore, which might give McLaren an opening. If they can capitalise there, it could put Verstappen further out of reach. Still, Toto Wolff has cautioned Norris and Piastri not to underestimate what happens if Verstappen starts believing he can win again this season.