With just four races left in the 2025 season, the tension is palpable. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are engaged in a fierce battle within their own team, separated by just one point, while Max Verstappen lurks ominously in their wake, 36 points behind but still very much in contention.
If anyone can spoil McLaren’s long-awaited coronation, it’s Verstappen, who seems to collect titles the way some collect penalty points. According to Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team boss and patron saint of unfiltered F1 commentary, the title fight isn’t over yet.
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The calm before the McLaren storm?
McLaren’s renaissance in 2025 has been nothing short of spectacular. After years of playing second fiddle to Red Bull, and more or less everyone else, not too long ago, Woking’s orange tide has swept to the front in recent times. However, as is often the case when both drivers sense victory, harmony has been replaced by passive-aggressive radio messages and side-eye on the podium.
Norris’ recent victory in Mexico put him in the lead by a narrow margin over his teammate Piastri, but their rivalry could play straight into Verstappen’s hands.
Guenther Steiner, never one to mince his words, believes the papaya pair are doing Red Bull’s work for them.
“McLaren is shooting itself in the foot,” he said, displaying his usual diplomatic flair. “One wins, the other finishes sixth or seventh. Then it swaps. They’re inconsistent. Max almost always gets the maximum result.”
This is the sort of blunt observation that Steiner built his career on, and he might just be right. While Norris and Piastri squabble like children fighting over the last slice of pizza, Verstappen has rediscovered his calm, calculating side. The fiery risk-taker who once lunged at any gap larger than a wheel nut is gone. In his place stands a champion playing the long game.
Consistency: Verstappen’s quiet weapon.
Steiner summed it up succinctly: “If he doesn’t win or finish second, he finishes third.”
In other words, Verstappen is now Formula 1’s human metronome. He rarely makes mistakes, and when he does, it’s because he’s pushing the car to a limit that the laws of physics haven’t yet agreed on.
Since the summer break, Verstappen has been relentlessly amassing points. The RB21 might not be as fast as its predecessors, but Red Bull’s number one driver has turned consistency into an art form. Even when the car has lacked the pace to dominate, he has squeezed every drop of performance from it.
Meanwhile, McLaren’s drivers seem to be taking it in turns to underperform. Norris’ brilliance in Mexico followed a series of mediocre weekends, while Piastri’s early-season sparkle has dimmed slightly under championship pressure. Every time McLaren looks set to build momentum, they find a way to neutralise themselves.
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Guenther Steiner’s prophecy
For Steiner, that’s the difference between champions and contenders. He pointed out that Verstappen’s drive in Mexico was a masterclass in restraint.
“He didn’t do anything reckless at the end of the race,” Steiner said. “Three years ago, Max would have pounced on Leclerc and risked everything. Now he knows he has to score big and consistently. That’s how you win.”
This is a side of Verstappen that few would have expected during his early, more reckless years. But time, and a few championship trophies, have transformed him into a tactical predator. Steiner sees this as the decisive factor in the closing races. If McLaren continues to divide their strategy between two drivers, Verstappen might just pick up the pieces.
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The ticking clock and a familiar threat:
Four races, 36 points. On paper, it’s a tough ask, but this is Formula 1, where reliability gremlins, strategic errors, and ‘after you, teammate’ disputes can turn the title race on its head. Red Bull may no longer have the fastest car, but Verstappen’s unflappable mindset could be worth more than outright speed.
McLaren’s challenge is as much psychological as technical. They must decide whether to back one driver or let them continue their intra-team battle. In a season where unity could deliver both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships, their indecision could hand Verstappen a fourth consecutive title.
As Steiner might say, ‘You can’t win both championships if your drivers are busy racing each other into the gravel.’
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The looming finale
Formula 1 thrives on chaos, and the final stretch of the 2025 season promises to deliver it in abundance. If Verstappen manages to overturn the deficit, it will go down as one of his greatest title comebacks, a testament to experience over youthful exuberance. For Norris and Piastri, it’s a lesson in teamwork that they may learn too late.
The world waits for the next twist: will McLaren’s internal battle end in spectacular failure, or will Verstappen prove once again that consistency is king in F1?
Whatever happens, Günther Steiner will be watching, probably with popcorn, and a smug look on his face that says, ‘I told you so.’
Over to the jury, what do you think? Will McLaren’s internal conflict hand Verstappen another title, or can the papaya pair keep their nerve and finish the job?
MORE F1 NEWS – Newey admits Aston Martin weakness which may take 2 years to fix
Adrian Newey is now considered one of the finest Formula One engineers ever to grace the sport. With 26 drivers’ and constructors’ championships under his belt, the man from Essex is legendary for his old school approach to designing an F1 car with his artist’s style easel and charcoal pencils which create the sketches which go on to dominate motor racing.
Newey left Red Bull last year after almost two decades of steering the direction of the technical team. He decided to join Aston Martin after team owner Lawrence Stroll offered him complete control over all matters technical and a wedge of equity in the iconic British Racing marque.
He has been tasked primarily with creating a competitive 2026 car for the Silverstone based team and with the arrival of Honda as a ‘works’ partner, Aston Martin are tipped to be one of the top teams when the cars hit the track in January.
Newey’s infamous grid “prowl”
There has been over £200m invested in the infrastructure of Aston Martin, with state of the art facilities now complete, together with a new wind tunnel and modelling software which the team expect to export the the max.
In the 21st century world of F1 where time is no one’s friend, Newey remains faithful to his principals which include examining his rivals creation’s in person. F1 “spy photography” has been a huge business for more than a decade, with team’s employing dedicated photographers to take pictures ion their rivals racing prototype to discover the secrets locked away.
Yet despite this technology, Adrian Newey prefers the ways of old. Whilst he’s not been at many of the races this season, he is infamous for his ‘grid prowl’ before the start of the Grand Prix. He wanders amongst the rival racing prototypes with his clipboard and pencil in hand. Now Newey reveals the reason for his actions on Grand Prix Sunday and addresses the matter of the teams investing in spy photography…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
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