“`html
Verstappen Acknowledges Need for Consistent Dominance in 2025 Championship Fight
McLaren’s strong performance this season has forced Max Verstappen to concede he must consistently lead races if he hopes to close the gap in the 2025 championship standings. Despite a recent surge in form, the four-time World Champion remains 36 points behind current leader, Lando Norris.
A strong run of results – including three Grand Prix wins over the last five races – has significantly narrowed the deficit to the McLaren pairing of Norris and Oscar Piastri. However,Verstappen recognizes the challenge ahead with only four race weekends remaining in the campaign.
“We just try to do everything we can until the end,” the driver explained during Thursday’s media day at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. “It’s 36 points, still a decent gap.” He acknowledged the team’s recent progress, but emphasized the need for a shift in strategy. “I think over the last few rounds we have done a very good job as a team,but of course if we want to close that down further we need to be ahead constantly now,and that I think will be a big challenge but we’ll see.”
When questioned about whether the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix represents a critical turning point in his title bid,Verstappen remained pragmatic. “Maybe. We’ll find out. I’m not really stressed about it,” he stated. “I know if the car is good and fast enough to win, we’ll do that. If it’s not,than I think naturally at one point you’re not in the fight anymore. We’ll see how it progresses.”
The Interlagos circuit holds special significance for Verstappen, being the site of a remarkable victory in 2024 where he climbed from P17 on the grid to win in challenging, changeable conditions. Reflecting on his chances of repeating such a performance this year, he offered a cautious assessment. “We’ll see. First of all,[we’ll] wait and see how the weather evolves over the coming days.”
He noted the recent improvement in the team’s performance, stating, “The last few races I think on average have been very decent, but of course if you want to win more we need to be more competitive, so we’ll see what we get.” The return of the Sprint race format this weekend adds another layer of complexity, compounded by a forecast predicting potential showers at Interlagos.
Despite his past success in wet conditions, Verstappen was wary of assuming a natural advantage. “In the rain, it’s always very risky. It can work for you, it can work against you,” he cautioned. He highlighted McLaren’s strength in managing tire temperatures in wet conditions, specifically on interm
ediate compounds, giving them an edge in unpredictable weather.
