Giedo van der Garde adamant that Max Verstappen will win 2025 F1 title because of one McLaren weakness

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Giedo van der Garde is adamant that Max Verstappen will win the 2025 F1 title, owing to a critical weakness that has been prevalent within McLaren in recent races.

Max Verstappen took his fourth Grand Prix win of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, moving himself to within 69 points of the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, in the F1 standings.

On a weekend where the Woking-based racing outfit could have secured their second consecutive constructors’ championship, the team returned to their headquarters with just six points to add to their tally, thanks to Lando Norris’ seventh-place finish.

His Australian counterpart crashed out of the race after just five corners, leading many to believe that Piastri is feeling the pressure of leading the F1 championship.

With seven races left to go in the F1 calendar, the anomalous result for McLaren may have handed Verstappen the necessary opportunity for him to make a challenge for a fifth consecutive F1 drivers’ championship.

READ MORE: What ‘a lot of people’ are now saying about Lando Norris 2025 title chances compared to Max Verstappen

Giedo van der Garde believes McLaren will open the door to Max Verstappen through more mistakes

Speaking in an interview with ViaPlay, via Formula Passion, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde believes his compatriot will surely replicate Michael Schumacher’s feat of five consecutive drivers’ titles this season, referencing the mistakes of McLaren as the main catalyst.

“I don’t think Piastri or Norris will become world champion, but I think Max will,” van der Garde declared. “His car has become much more competitive. If you think about it, there are actually only two Grands Prix that are going really well for McLaren.

“They are Singapore, where Lando Norris is really good, and Qatar. But what about the others? I bet Max will win Abu Dhabi, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. He’s 69 points behind Piastri, which is a lot, but we mustn’t forget that Lando and Oscar have never been world champions.

“So they too will have nervous moments. They too will make mistakes. They too will end up off the track. And Max? He has nothing to lose; he’ll give it his all. Believe me: he’ll become world champion.”

The biggest weapon in the Dutchman’s arsenal is the fact that he doesn’t have anything to lose. At Monza, Verstappen couldn’t care less about the McLarens behind him as they squabbled for position through the use of team orders.

Now pinned as the underdog in the 2025 title fight and equipped with a more manageable car than before, Verstappen can unleash some of the best drives of his F1 career to try and claw his way back into the battle.

READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve shares his ‘only worry’ that could now stop Max Verstappen winning 2025 F1 title

How possible is it for Max Verstappen to win the 2025 F1 title?

Currently sitting 44 points behind Norris in second place, and 69 points behind Piastri at the top, Verstappen will be relying on both drivers failing to score any points in several of the remaining seven rounds of the season.

Three DNFs for Piastri and three Grand Prix wins for Verstappen would see him leapfrog the 24-year-old in the standings, but the Red Bull driver will also need Norris to fall short across a couple of races, as well.

F1 paddock insiders have revealed that Norris has developed a reputation in F1 for exactly that.

Sources believe that the British driver has difficulties performing when the heat is on, which was evident in all the mistakes Norris made during his battle with Verstappen during last season’s campaign.

There are also three Sprint races that are yet to be contested, meaning there will be an opportunity for the 27-year-old to add more points to his tally in order to gain an advantage over his rivals.

In short, Verstappen will need a swathe of factors outside of his control to go in his favour. Van der Garde’s prediction is ambitious to say the least, but it’s not impossible.