Coming into the 2025 season, Max Verstappen’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive world championship was always in doubt. McLaren was the new king of the grid, and with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—two top title-caliber drivers—behind the wheel of the MCL39, Verstappen’s work was cut out for him from the get-go.
However, the Dutchman has done a good job with a considerably slower car so far. Two podium finishes in the first three races, including the win in Japan last Sunday, have kept Verstappen within just one point of championship leader Norris.
Nevertheless, it will be tough for Verstappen to get wins under his belt, especially if Norris and Piastri keep performing at the high level they are. Damon Hill certainly believes that the McLaren duo can sustain their push for the title.
“They both have a very, very high caliber,” the 1996 world champion said on the Fast and the Curious podcast. That said, Verstappen can use the fact that both Norris and Piastri will be going after the same prize to his advantage.
Hill, on the podcast, hinted that Verstappen could choose to “drive a wedge” between the McLaren drivers. Both are top talents who have been tipped to win the title, but they can’t do so at the same time. The chances of conflict at some point in the season are high.
“They have yet to deliver their mettle, in the sense, their battle-hardenedness,” Hill added. “It’s much much harder than anything you’ve done in your career.”
“Winning a Grand Prix is great. It’s a great threshold to cross over. But to fight for a world championship, it requires you to deprive yourself of every other source of joy in life.”
Appreciating our Papaya Army, always! #McLaren | #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/zizhsNk69S
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 6, 2025
That’s an area Verstappen excels in. He has won four back-to-back titles, and there wasn’t a race where the Red Bull driver didn’t look locked in. Hill suggested that this will be a huge advantage.
“In some ways, Max can sort of divide and conquer. He can kind of run rings around them a little bit, whereas they can be slightly mesmerized or distracted by their own teammate.”
Right on target, @LandoNorris #F1 || #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/S5jaQlM99w
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 7, 2025
For McLaren, this is truly a luxury problem that could bite them back. In terms of seniority, Norris holds an advantage at the Woking-based squad. But Piastri is a proven race-winner, who won’t settle for being a number two driver. It’s a situation McLaren has found tough to manage up until now.
The papaya squad have insisted that the two have the green light to fight each other on the track. But at the same time, the team has asked Piastri to hold position and not attack Norris on two different occasions this season.
This could create dissent internally, and the focus of the team could shift entirely to the intra-team rivalry. Verstappen, meanwhile, could keep doing what he does best, and that is winning races. And the 27-year-old has already proved that he doesn’t always need the best car on the grid to do that.
