Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes McLaren holds a crucial strategic edge in the closing stretch of the Formula 1 title fight – one that could prove decisive against a resurgent Max Verstappen.
The title fight, which once seemed safely in the hands of McLaren’s drivers, is now a three-way battle, with Verstappen dramatically slashing his deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri thanks to three wins in the last four races – including last weekend in Austin, and with five events left on the schedule.
In light of Verstappen’s sensational form, Brundle highlighted the statistics that now underscore the Red Bull driver’s threat.
“Verstappen has scored 119 of a possible 133 points in the last five races and closed down Piastri's advantage by 60 points in the last four events, now just 40 behind,” Brundle wrote in his Sky F1 column.
“At that rate he will be champion but some of the tracks coming up should ensure that normal service resumes for McLaren, although there is no doubt that the Red Bull is a better all-round car now and Max is on peak form.”
Despite Red Bull’s resurgence, Brundle believes McLaren’s edge lies in having two evenly matched front-runners, unlike Verstappen, who has been fighting solo while Yuki Tsunoda struggles to match his pace.
“McLaren's ace card is that it's two against one, and they are going to need to play that very well on every GP weekend until and including Abu Dhabi,” Brundle contended.
Sprints could swing the balance
While McLaren looks to manage its internal dynamics, Verstappen could yet find lifelines in the final rounds – particularly the Sprint weekends. While not a fan of the sport’s condensed format, the Dutchman’s consistency and adaptability could play perfectly into his hands.
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“Sprint weekends seem to suit Max's talent and confidence, whereby you have one practice session before the relentless competition starts with sprint qualifying, sprint race, main qualifying and, finally, the race,” Brundle noted.
“There's a result all three days and, in many ways, they have a cumulative effect. It must be like dropping off the peloton in a cycle race, very hard to catch up.”
With Brazil and Qatar both hosting sprint weekends before the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen’s chances of pulling off one of F1’s great comebacks remain alive – but Brundle’s message is clear: if McLaren plays its “two-against-one” card wisely, the balance of power might still be papaya orange, not dark blue.
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