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The return of Max Verstappen to Formula One championship racing has disrupted McLaren’s plans for a team-mate title clash.
With five rounds remaining, Oscar Piastri’s lead has reduced to 14 points. lando norris And 40 points to four-time champion Verstappen.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how a fascinating title race is shaping up ahead of this weekend’s trip to Mexico City.
How did Verstappen get back into it?
No one is more surprised than the Dutchman. He had declared his chances over before the summer break, but has returned to action by winning three of his last four races. Verstappen trailed Piastri by 104 points after Zandvoort just five races ago, but has dropped 64 points after scoring a perfect 33 points in Austin last weekend.
Verstappen says so red Bull and new team principal laurent mekies He has simply unleashed the potential of his car and the previous struggles – where he won only two of the first 15 races – appear to be far behind him.
What happened to Piyastri?
When Norris’s engine failed in the closing stages at Zandvoort, Piastri had a 34-point lead over his teammate and appeared likely to win his first title. neither mclaren The driver has won since then but the Australian finished behind both Norris and Verstappen in those four races.
In Austin he was well off the pace, crashing at the first corner of the sprint as Norris was also eliminated, before posing little threat to finishing fifth in the race.
“If we can find our way again, find our momentum, certainly for me, find our momentum again, I don’t have any major concerns,” Piastri said.
Whether he can do it or not is the big question facing the already unassuming 24-year-old.
How does McLaren regain its form?
This will not happen through upgrades to his car. While Red Bull continues to make changes to its package, team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren has no planned updates. Instead, they hope to improve their car and are optimistic that there are tracks left that will be suitable for them.
But previous hopes that the recent struggles were track-specific appear to be ending as McLaren – who already have the constructors’ crown in the bag – admits that Verstappen is now a match for them on all layouts.
Will McLaren have to favor a driver?
This is a question which has acquired real importance. McLaren has focused so much on maintaining team-mate relationships to ensure complete fairness as their drivers remain locked in a two-way title race.
But the scenario has now changed and Verstappen is roaring in his rear-view mirror. Stella refused to deny Woking needed to prioritize a driver to take back the title, but to be fair to both Norris and Piastri it would be a huge step forward for the team.
Echoes of 2007?
Piastri and Norris have been title contenders for the entire season, just as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were in 2007 – albeit in a much more civilized and less controversial fashion.
But while they both lost, Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen took the crown by winning three of the last four races, pipping the McLaren pair by one point. Who was part of Raikkonen’s team at that time? Andrea Stella.