After winning seven of the opening 10 races, the 27-year-old has struggled with the drop in performance from the RB20 as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have made huge strides forward to catch Red Bull.
Verstappen finally ended his winless streak in fine style at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as he commanded the field in the tricky conditions to win the race from P17, bringing a certain end to his rival Lando Norris‘ title chances.
The Dutchman has a 62-point lead over the McLaren driver and can seal the deal at the Las Vegas Grand Prix by beating Norris in the race. The two rivals have had fierce battles throughout the season, with incidents in the previous triple header getting all the attention in the paddock.
Norris was penalised at the United States Grand Prix for passing Verstappen off the track at turn 12. The Brit claimed he was ahead at the apex and was pushed off the circuit, but Karun Chandhok saw a new angle that showed Verstappen was actually in front heading into the corner.
The two would come to blows again at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but this time it was the Red Bull driver who bore the brunt of the stewards as he was handed a 20-second time penalty for forcing Norris off the track a turns four and 10.
Damon Hill said Verstappen was ‘losing respect’ over his antics on the track, but the Dutchman seems unfazed as he has reiterated that he is following the regulaitons.
Verstappen joked that he would need a drink in the pit lane for when he receives further penalties for his aggressive driving – which is what the 27-year-old has been renowned for throughout his career, particularly when it comes to defending the inside line.
Verstappen says he will not let people pass him around the outside, and speaking with BBC Sport, he outlined to his rivals how they should go about overtaking him on track.
Asked whether he felt he was being singled out for his Mexico City penalties, Verstappen said: “Honestly, even if they would have done or did, first of all I don’t care because I drive to what I think is possible and what is allowed in the rules. And if the rules are written like that, I will use the rules.
“If that would have happened to me the other way around, I don’t think I would have been the person to complain so hard because I would just think, ‘OK, if that’s the rules, that’s how we do it’ instead of screaming that we need to change the rules.”
Asked how someone is expected to overtake him, he replied: “It depends on the track layout. Of course when the track is naturally the limit, no-one tries to go around the outside because they know that, so you then try to go for the cut-back or set yourself up in a different way.”
Verstappen’s incredible performance in Sao Paulo has all but diminished any chance of Norris beating him to the title.
The Brit must outscore the Dutchman by three points to take the fight to Qatar, but with there being a 62-point gap, Red Bull would have to have a catastrophic disaster in the final three races for Verstappen to lose the title at this stage.
Many will wonder whether this should be considered a failure from Norris, given that he has had the fastest car for much of the season while Verstappen struggled to even finish on the podium after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris has ‘realised’ that he needs Nico Rosberg’s ruthlessness from 2016 if he is to beat Verstappen in 2025. With not much expected to change next year – with the new technical regulations coming in 2026 – the two rivals are certain to have another intense battle at the front.
