Toto Wolff: Max Verstappen's 2025 Title Hopes 'Ship Has Sailed'

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen's chances for the 2025 F1 title are effectively over, stating, "that ship has sailed." He points to Lando Norris's "very, very solid" 24-point lead over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri with only three races remaining, effectively making it a two-horse race.

Why it matters:

McLaren's decision to allow Norris and Piastri to race freely has kept the championship battle open, and while it allowed Verstappen to briefly close the gap, Wolff now sees the Dutch driver out of contention. This assessment sets the stage for an intense McLaren intra-team battle for the Drivers' Championship, a rare occurrence in modern F1, and highlights the implications of team management strategies on title fights.

The Details:

• Current Standings: As F1 heads to Las Vegas, Norris leads the standings with 390 points, followed by Piastri with 366 points, and Verstappen with 341 points.
• Points at Play: A maximum of 83 points are available across the final three Grands Prix and the Qatar sprint race.
• McLaren's Dominance: The MCL39 has been the standout car of the season, securing the Constructors' title for McLaren with six races to spare. Both Norris and Piastri have seven wins each, a testament to the car's performance and the team's 'papaya rules' allowing fair competition.
• Verstappen's Diminishing Hopes: Despite McLaren's decisions in Monza and Singapore that kept the door ajar for Verstappen, Norris's dominant performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he scored a maximum 33 points, extended his lead over Verstappen to 49 points. This significant gap, according to Wolff, makes Verstappen's title bid unrecoverable.

Between the lines:

Wolff, who has experience managing intense intra-team rivalries with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, praised McLaren's approach to letting their drivers compete. He suggests that with Verstappen now largely out of the picture, the internal competition between Norris and Piastri can intensify without external pressure from the Red Bull driver. He believes Andrea Stella, McLaren's Team Principal, will be able to manage any increased tension.

What's next:

The focus now shifts entirely to the battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. While Norris holds a seemingly comfortable lead, the remaining races in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi offer enough points for dramatic swings. Any DNF or significant point loss by Norris could reignite Piastri's challenge, promising a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 F1 season.