Dramatic fight for the world title
Will Verstappen now break Schumacher’s record?
November 24, 2025 – 1:42 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The fifth World Cup title in a row was almost out of reach. After the “earthquake” in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen could soon catch up with Michael Schumacher.
As Formula 1 enters the home straight of the season, Jos Verstappen is behind the wheel around 6,000 kilometers away – but not in a Formula 1 car. The former racing driver is taking part in the East Africa Classic Rally in Kenya at the same time as his son Max’s World Cup decision. “We have an incredibly nice program,” he said at the beginning of the year.
Did he already suspect back then that his son might be on the verge of his fifth title in a row at this point? Unclear. One thing is certain: after the spectacular criminal drama in Las Vegas, the fight for the title is more open than it has been for a long time. The gap between McLaren driver Lando Norris and his pursuer Oscar Piastri is gone – and Max Verstappen suddenly has the best chance again. “All in,” wrote Verstappen after his 69th career victory at the weekend in the casino metropolis.
At the end of August, after the home race in Zandvoort, Verstappen was a whopping 104 points behind Piastri, who was leading at the time. In the first 15 races he had only achieved two victories – a poor result by his standards.
“We no longer have it under control,” said Verstappen at this point with a view to the World Cup. And added: “It’s not ideal, but there are still enough races to turn the tide or not, and time will tell.” The Dutchman doesn’t spend long on things over which he has no influence.
Even when the racing team around team boss Christian Horner was in crisis, Max Verstappen held back from public criticism. Unlike his father, who had publicly called for Horner to leave. After the separation in July, Laurent Mekies took over – with him calm and consistency returned.
And Verstappen started his race to catch up: victories in Monza, Baku, Austin and Las Vegas. Plus a second place in Singapore, third place in Mexico City and São Paulo. Two races before the end of the season – in Qatar and Abu Dhabi – everything is possible again. A total of 58 points can be awarded through the sprint on Saturday.
“The development of seismic proportions after the race means that Max Verstappen, who won in Vegas, is now just 24 points behind championship leader Norris and level on points with Piastri with two rounds remaining,” wrote the British Independent.