‘We need to be ahead constantly now’ – Max Verstappen outlines ‘big challenge’ as championship fight heats up

Max Verstappen has conceded that he needs “to be ahead constantly now” in order to continue to close the gap in the championship fight, though the Dutchman also believes that “if the car is good and fast enough to win, we’ll do that”.

A good run of form across the last five rounds – which has included three Grand Prix wins – has seen Verstappen move nearer to the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings, with his deficit to leader Norris now standing at just 36 points.

With four race weekends still remaining in the 2025 campaign, Verstappen is mindful of the task ahead but determined to give his all.

“We just try to do everything we can until the end,” the four-time World Champion explained during Thursday’s media day at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. “It’s 36 points, still a decent gap.

“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. I’m just excited to be here and hopefully it will be a good weekend for us.”

Pushed on whether the weekend ahead in Brazil could mark a ‘do or die’ moment in his title bid, Verstappen reflected: “Maybe. We’ll find out. I’m not really stressed about it.

“I know if the car is good and fast enough to win, we’ll do that. If it’s not, then I think naturally at one point you’re not in the fight anymore. We’ll see how it progresses.”

Interlagos was the scene of one of Verstappen’s most famous wins back in 2024, in which the Red Bull driver climbed from P17 on the grid in changeable conditions to clinch victory.

Assessing his chances of delivering another special performance for this year’s event, Verstappen said: “We’ll see. First of all, [we’ll] wait and see how the weather evolves over the coming days.

“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 Sprint will also make its return during the weekend ahead, while the forecast suggests that showers could potentially fall at Interlagos. However, when asked if this could present an opportunity for him given his showing in the rain 12 months ago, Verstappen was cautious.

“In the rain, it’s always very risky. It can work for you, it can work against you,” he explained.

“Also this season, I think in the wet McLaren has been very strong to control the overheating, for example on the intermediate tyres, so it’s not a given that if it rains that suddenly we will be the ones to beat.

“We’ll wait and see, I’m not really too stressed about it. We’ll just give everything we have. If that’s enough, then I will probably close up but if not, then not. It’s quite straightforward.”