Otmar Szafnauer has seen Max Verstappen do something that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will not

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Red Bull racer Max Verstappen reduced his deficit to first place in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship in the Mexico City Grand Prix, despite McLaren rival Lando Norris’ win.

Verstappen started last weekend’s Mexico City GP trailing McLaren rival Oscar Piastri by 40 points atop the F1 drivers’ standings. But he left the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with a 36-point deficit to Norris, who stretched his advantage over the Red Bull star from 26 points.

Norris’ 36-point margin atop the standings to Verstappen in third place with just four rounds of the 2025 F1 season remaining is also the smallest margin between the top three since the Monaco Grand Prix in May. They were just 25 points apart after round eight of this year’s 24.

Piastri only managing a P5 finish from P7 on the grid, as Norris won the Mexico City GP from pole position last Sunday, further saw Verstappen outscore the Australian for the fifth round in a row with P3. A late VSC denied the Dutchman any chance to pass Charles Leclerc for P2.

Max Verstappen is prepared to take ‘more risks’ to win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title

Verstappen also impressed Otmar Szafnauer at the start of the Mexico City GP, as the Red Bull racer went four-wide with McLaren star Norris plus the Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The four-time champion looked to pull off an ambitious pass around their outside.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

Szafnauer believes the start of the Mexico City GP showed that Verstappen is willing to take “more risks” to try to retain his title for a fifth season in succession. The 28-year-old fired his RB21 over the kerb and just kept the car out of the barrier as he slid across the grass run-off.

“Max takes a few more risks and has the talent to do so,” Szafnauer told RacingNews365. “We’ll see. It promises to be exciting in the last four races.”

Szafnauer added: “That’s typical Max, and you have to commend him for that. He’s simply a fantastic driver, and he has less to lose right now.”

Max Verstappen impressed Otmar Szafnauer with his ambitious overtakes in Mexico City

Verstappen used the slipstream from Leclerc’s Ferrari on the long pit straight towards Turn 1 at the start of the Mexico City, as the Red Bull racer tried to improve further from his P5 grid position. He had already overtaken Mercedes pilot George Russell, who started from fourth.

But Hamilton moving across slightly to his left, as Norris kept to the inside to retain the lead from pole position, forced Leclerc to move over as Verstappen pulled alongside. So, the Red Bull racer straddled the kerb and utilised the grass run-off area, having been unable to stop.

Verstappen emerged in front of both Ferrari drivers after using the run-off, but he gave both positions back before Turn 5 to avoid any penalty. Also, Verstappen avoided a penalty for his collision with Hamilton in the Mexico City GP, when he also cut Turn 3 to get ahead on Lap 6.