McLaren team boss Andrea Stella claims Max Verstappen is a title threat to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

McLaren F1 team principal has claimed that Max Verstappen is a real title threat to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for the 2025 drivers' championship. The Italian boss pointed to the fact that Red Bull have claimed the pole and race win at the last two races now, as he brands them as "real contenders".

Max Verstappen came over the finish line at the Azerbaijan GP to mark a comfortable victory on the streets of Baku. This was the Dutchman's fourth win of the 2025 season and his second in as many races, as Red Bull seem to have turned a corner with the RB21 in recent weeks.

Speaking to Viaplay after the race, McLaren boss Andrea Stella claimed that Verstappen is a genuine threat to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the fight for the drivers' title, saying that the fight is now three-headed.

"I keep saying that Red Bull are a real threat to the championship. They have scored pole position and victories over the last two events. I said it yesterday and can confirm it even more today, it's a three-headed fight for the drivers' championship," said Stella.

Lando Norris was unable to make any progress during the race at Baku as the Briton finished the race in the same P7 spot that he had started in. Oscar Piastri had also started in a lowly P9, before the Aussie driver crashed out of the race on lap 1 after a collision with the barriers at turn 5.

This means that Max Verstappen has now moved within 44 points of Norris and 69 points of Piastri in the drivers' standings. With only 7 rounds of the season to go, the odds are still heavily in favor of the McLaren drivers, but the reigning world champion may yet have some part to play in the 2025 championship.

---

Max Verstappen speaks about his chances for the remainder of the 2025 F1 season

Max Verstappen after claiming victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen claimed that it would be difficult for him to definitively say if he and Red Bull can continue their momentum into the remaining races in the 2025 F1 season. The driver also shared that the upcoming Singapore GP will be a "completely different challenge" for the Austrian team.

When asked about what he and his team can achieve in the remaining seven rounds this year after the Azerbaijan GP, Verstappen replied in the post race interview by saying:

"Difficult to say at the moment, but for sure the last two race weekends have been amazing for us. Singapore is a completely different challenge again with a high downforce. So, we'll see what we can do there."

Red Bull have found some success at the last two tracks, mainly thanks to the low downforce nature of the Monza and Baku circuits. The upcoming Singapore GP will demand a completely opposite setup, and it remains to be seen how good the RB21 can be around the Marina Bay street circuit.

Edited by Mitali