There have been many times in Formula 1 where the writing has been on the wall early on. The introduction of the hybrid era, for example. Mercedes well and truly aced the design of the highly complex power unit when it was first introduced in 2014 and didn’t look back for several years. No other team could come close to the all-dominant Mercedes, and the titles for those years were a foregone conclusion even before the seasons had started.
It seemed to be a similar mood at the start of this year, too. When the McLaren hit the track for pre-season testing, most, if not all, had declared their season to lose. They were right. McLaren wrapped up a second consecutive constructors’ championship with six races still to go in 2025. It seemed for all money that the driver’s title would go to either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, too. It still might. But then there is Max Verstappen.
It’s no secret that Red Bull’s opening half of the 2025 season had been a struggle both on and off the track. The internal war between Christian Horner and the ‘rest’ came to a head when he was summarily replaced by Laurent Mekies as team principal earlier this year. If this has destabilised the team in any way, they’ve done a mighty fine job of hiding it. In fact, the team seems to have experienced an upturn in fortune since Mekies’ arrival. It might just be a coincidence, of course, or it might also be a change in atmosphere, being what the team desperately needed. Either way, it’s been going a heck of a lot better of late.
In the second Red Bull seat, Yuki Tsunoda has continued to struggle. Unable to match the lofty performances of Max Verstappen, Tsunoda looks set to be replaced by Isack Hadjar for the 2026 season. There is a major regulation change coming next year, but it remains to be seen if anyone can cope with the second Red Bull seat.
So, we have established that Red Bull has improved in the second half of the season. Once also-rans in the greater scheme of the 2025 season, Max Verstappen quietly but with devastating consistency brought himself back into contention. A few months ago, this would have been chalked off as absurd. Here is some wild reading for you: In the last five rounds, Verstappen has gained 57 points on Piastri. If he replicates this in the next five rounds, he will win the title by 17 points.
The writing may have been on the wall earlier in 2025, but there were very few who would’ve predicted this comeback from Red Bull and Max Verstappen. It isn’t unheard of either. In fact, the last time Ferrari won a driver’s title, in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen went into the final race of the season 7 points behind Lewis Hamilton and miraculously came out the victor. Co-incidentally, Raikkonen was up against the two McLarens of Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who, for the better part of the season, had the better car (Spygate issues withstanding). It seemed a long shot then, and the story seems to have repeated itself in 2025. Verstappen is much happier with the solutions Red Bull has found. Will it be enough to bring him to an unlikely fifth title? No one knows. And that’s the beauty of Formula 1.
