F1 insiders have noticed a change at McLaren that now makes Max Verstappen the title favourite

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Formula 1 has its first three-way fight for a title in 15 years, and it involves the same teams that were competing against each other in 2010.

In fact, Ferrari were in the mix back then, too, but Red Bull and McLaren are going head-to-head in the fight for the drivers’ championship, with five rounds to go. After multiple drastic swings, it’s hard to predict which way things will go over the next six weeks.

From 104 points behind, nobody expected that Max Verstappen would be able to make a heroic comeback and even challenge his rivals for victory before the end of 2025. In fact, he has gone one step further and appears to be driving at as high a level as he ever has.

Red Bull’s sudden ‘progress’ is down to a few things, including upgrades and a change in approach. They’ve managed to optimise the RB21, and it has brought them into the fight. Fortunately, McLaren have an ace card up their sleeve, and will be able to push back against their advances.

READ MORE: Laurent Mekies is realising Christian Horner was right all along about how to beat McLaren

F1 paddock thinks McLaren ‘lightness’ has disappeared and makes Max Verstappen the title favourite

After their little resurgence, Red Bull’s swagger is back, and they’re starting to believe in themselves once more. Before the arrival of team boss Laurent Mekies, there was a dejected and negative feel about the direction of the team, which has since changed.

Even Lando Norris has admitted Verstappen’s good job, and it shows that the pressure he has applied is starting to mount on his rivals. Before, their advantage was so big that they didn’t even have to think about him.

Now, Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt reports that McLaren’s ‘lightness’ has dried up since Red Bull started winning again. That added pressure to perform is exactly what makes Verstappen so dangerous, and perhaps the favourite to win the title.

“Yes, I think some people in the paddock are saying that the real favourite for the title is now Max Verstappen, even though he is still behind,” he said.

“The thumbscrews are tightening even tighter for the McLaren drivers, and also for McLaren as a team. You notice that the lightness they had is gone. So, they don’t win the races anymore, just like that.

“They had a cushion of two tenths over everyone else, and even if things went badly, they were still at the front. Now, if things go badly, you end up sixth on the starting grid, as we saw with Piastri, and you can’t move up any further.”

READ MORE: What ‘sources’ are saying about Red Bull’s behaviour towards Lando Norris after COTA tape incident

Why Max Verstappen faces an alien situation with the 2025 F1 title fight

Across Verstappen’s single-seater racing career, he hasn’t once entered the final race of a season with a chance of winning a title without already being in first place.

Without something remarkable happening (which already feels like it’s in the process of happening), he’s unlikely to lead the title race heading into Abu Dhabi.

What it does mean is that there should be less pressure on his shoulders to defend his position. Instead, he can attack his rivals with a ruthless approach.

We’ve seen him do it before, but never when a title is on the line. Verstappen is a dangerous and potent opponent when he has nothing to lose. For the first time in 2025, that may be the case.