Charles Leclerc believes Max Verstappen faces a tough challenge to complete his F1 2025 championship comeback against McLaren. The Woking-based team dominated before the summer break, and Oscar Piastri’s Dutch GP win extended his lead to 104 points.
Since then, Verstappen has fought back with four wins and a second-place finish, slashing the gap to 40 points. With five rounds left, the title fight has reignited.
“I mean, I’m never surprised,” Leclerc said. “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.”
Leclerc Backs McLaren Despite Verstappen Surge
Even with Verstappen’s strong run, Leclerc doubts he can overturn the deficit. “I’ll be very surprised if he manages to win the championship from where he is,” Leclerc said. “I mean, 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 stance contrasts with many on the grid who view Verstappen’s form as extraordinary.
Young Drivers Praise Verstappen’s Comeback
“What he’s doing is incredible,” said Gabriel Bortoleto. “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.”
Ollie Bearman shared similar admiration. “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. 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’s Mindset Boosts His Title Hopes
Carlos Sainz believes Verstappen thrives as an underdog. “With that philosophy of ‘nothing to lose’, everything feels less pressure on your shoulders and you just go and send it,” he said.
Pierre Gasly also highlighted Verstappen’s mental strength. “Once again, it just shows that in the sport it’s important to never give up. 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.”
With five races to go, Max Verstappen’s F1 2025 comeback has transformed the title race into a high-stakes showdown with McLaren.
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