Baku has Verstappen smelling blood in the water, McLaren hearing 'Jaws' theme

BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Max Verstappen doing Max Verstappen things. Formula 1 has go truthful accustomed to his greatness, the thought that the Dutchman could beryllium a contender successful the 2025 rubric combat does not look outlandish arsenic it mightiness for immoderate different operator trailing the title person by 69 points with 7 races remaining.

Verstappen's flawless Azerbaijan Grand Prix play (pole position, fastest thigh and the contention victory) came successful tandem with a chaotic and error-strewn 1 for McLaren. Championship person Oscar Piastri crashed retired of qualifying and past the opening thigh of the race, leaving Baku without a point; teammate and rubric rival Lando Norris appeared to squander aureate opportunities to twist the weapon connected some Saturday and Sunday; and the squad was tardy connected a important pit halt for the 2nd play successful a row. It was an alarmingly sloppy play for the squad that has dominated astir of the season.

Verstappen's qualifying show led McLaren brag Andrea Stella to accidental connected Saturday evening that helium was truthful assured the Dutchman was successful the rubric fight, the media could capitalize his punctuation for emphasis. Twenty-four hours later, helium doubled down.

"Definitely, Max is successful contention for the drivers' championship," Stella said. "We knew it and we got confirmation today."

On paper, astatine least, the mathematics would suggest otherwise.

Verstappen's triumph and Piastri's scoreless contention means he's present 69 points down the Australian and 44 down Norris, who labored to seventh presumption astatine the extremity of different frustrating showing by the Englishman. Both are monolithic gaps, with a triumph earning a operator 25 points, but Verstappen has taken 35 retired of Piastri successful hosthe past 2 races alone.

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Verstappen did not wound connected the proposition he's present a rubric contender.

"Seven races to spell and it's inactive 69 points? It's a lot," helium said connected Sunday evening. "Basically everything needs to spell cleanable from my side, and past a spot of luck from determination from their broadside I request arsenic well, you know, truthful it's inactive precise tough."

Verstappen is simply a monolithic outsider, and helium has each close to beryllium skeptical astir abruptly being framed arsenic a antheral successful the rubric fight. A signifier of results would request to look successful the adjacent fewer races for it to look genuine. But it says a batch astir however F1 views Verstappen that the athletics could adjacent beryllium having the conversation.

Recent performances person had rivals similar Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto speaking astir the four-time satellite champion arsenic if he's from different dimension. The aura he's built astir himself successful caller years -- particularly successful 2024 and for overmuch of this campaign, with beardown performances successful cars perceived to beryllium hard to thrust -- means helium cannot beryllium written disconnected completely. F1 has seen Verstappen spell connected agelong triumph streaks earlier -- including a record-breaking 10-race tally successful 2023 -- and immoderate akin spell would firmly found him arsenic a wildcard successful the run-in.

But, much damningly for McLaren, the information Verstappen's presumption arsenic a wildcard has immoderate legitimacy speaks to thing else. Despite its tally to the constructors' crown past twelvemonth (something the squad volition clasp astatine immoderate constituent successful the coming months) and the Piastri-Norris conflict this year, it suggests the thought of McLaren fragility is besides not excessively farfetched. Baku felt similar a large unit constituent and the squad did not respond well. How Piastri, Norris and McLaren arsenic a full respond present w...