Charles Leclerc has questioned whether Max Verstappen can complete his 2025 Formula 1 championship recovery to snatch the world title away from McLaren.
The Woking-based outfit dominated the campaign until the summer break – and even beyond, as Oscar Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix that followed, bringing his advantage over Verstappen to 104 points.
The reigning, four-time world champion had previously snatched two victories at Suzuka and Imola thanks to very marginal pole positions and impeccable Sunday drives; as Red Bull kept working hard on its RB21 despite incoming revamped regulations for 2026, Verstappen took four victories (including one sprint) and a second-place finish in the latest four grands prix, narrowing his deficit down to 40 points in the championship.
Asked if he was surprised by Verstappen’s latest run of results, Leclerc replied: “I mean, I’m never surprised.
“Max is always driving at a very high level, and considering Red Bull is probably the team that has pushed the developments more than other teams – I think McLaren has stopped quite a while ago, we also stopped quite a while ago and Mercedes and Red Bull are the two teams that pushed for a bit longer – it’s not a complete surprise.”
But despite Verstappen outscoring Piastri at a fast enough pace to clinch an unlikely title – should the current dynamic persist over the remaining five rounds – Leclerc doesn’t expect the Dutchman to succeed.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
“I’ll be very surprised if he manages to win the championship from where he is,” the Ferrari driver added.
“Again, he is always on top of things and always performing extremely well, but it’s still 40 points, and 40 points is significant. So if I had to bet one dollar, I probably would on the McLaren drivers. But you can never rule out Max.”
Leclerc’s view interestingly differs from most of his peers’, with youngsters particularly enthused about Verstappen’s latest drives and his title-winning potential.
“What he’s doing is incredible,” said Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who counts Verstappen as a friend. “Let’s say it’s one of the best comebacks of a championship, in my view, ever done in history. Let’s see what he can achieve.
“He didn’t have the best car – or even the top three car – for most of the parts of the year, and he has been able to be in the title fight for this long. And now they found out some good stuff with the car, and he’s been able to put some good performance. It’s already history.
“I’m not surprised that he has been able to do this, but I’m surprised that they have been able to evolve the car so much since the summer break. That surprises me, because it’s not easy to do that – especially when you are already in a good level like they are.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Fellow rookie Oliver Bearman was equally laudatory, branding Verstappen “the best driver that’s ever been in F1”.
“For someone like me, a rookie aspiring to hopefully one day fight for a world championship, Max is the guy that I’m looking up to, because he’s the current reference for the most talented and the quickest guy in F1,” the Haas driver added.
“Previously in the year he didn’t have a car to compete, but now it looks like he does, and it’s going to be really cool to see how these last five pan out.”
Verstappen might even have an edge on the psychological side, having become more unshakeable than ever as he finds himself in an underdog position which seemingly suits him perfectly.
“With that philosophy of ‘nothing to lose’, everything feels less pressure on your shoulders and you just go and send it,” Williams’ Carlos Sainz analysed. “And he’s maximising his chances with that philosophy.”
“Once again, it just shows that in the sport it’s important to never give up,” Alpine’s Pierre Gasly added. “The season is so long. I’m not going to lie, I’m even a little surprised that he came back that fast and that close to the front. Once again, I think it’s just a great proof of resilience and always trying.
“Let’s see what happens this weekend, but I’m sure he’s building up the pressure on the two McLaren guys. Can Lando win? Yes. Can Piastri win? Yes. Can Max win? Yes. So I think it’s just going to be a great battle for the championship.”
Additional reporting by Roberto Chinchero, Ronald Vording and Filip Cleeren
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– The Autosport.com Team
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