Ralf Schumacher says McLaren may have to make a brutal ‘decision’ to stop Max Verstappen winning the F1 title

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Max Verstappen has emerged as a potential contender to secure the 2025 F1 title, leading former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher to suggest that McLaren may need to make a “decision” on how they manage their drivers going forward.

For the majority of the current Formula 1 campaign, the 2025 drivers’ championship has looked certain to be heading back to Woking in the hands of either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

However, Verstappen’s back-to-back victories at Monza and Baku, alongside poor results from the McLaren duo, have seen the Dutchman eat into the deficit he once had to the front-runners.

With Laurent Mekies steadying the ship since his appointment to lead the team following Christian Horner’s sacking, the likelihood of Verstappen throwing his hat into the ring has become an increasing possibility.

READ MORE: Singapore Grand Prix: how to watch, UK timings and weather as McLaren target championship victory

Ralf Schumacher thinks McLaren will need to start favouring Oscar Piastri as Max Verstappen poses an increasing threat

Verstappen has demanded that Red Bull improve his grip for the Singapore Grand Prix. He knows the opportunity he has on his hands to clinch his fifth consecutive world title.

The threat that is being posed by the Red Bull driver has led former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher to suggest that McLaren ramp up their team orders in favour of Piastri so that they can secure their hopes of seeing a papaya driver win the drivers’ championship.

Speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Schumacher stated, “Now Piastri is still some way away from his teammate in the World Championship.

“At what point would one go and say from a McLaren perspective: ‘Now we have to secure the second title as well?’ Piastri is 25 points ahead of Norris and 69 ahead of Verstappen.

“If Max were to win the next race in Singapore, I can imagine that McLaren would get nervous and then have to make a decision.”

McLaren have come under fire for their team orders that have been prevalent throughout their championship battle, which is sure to be blown up again if the Woking-based outfit opt to go down the route that Schumacher has suggested.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the Singapore Grand Prix, including Marina Bay track stats and previous winners

The Singapore Grand Prix is crucial to Max Verstappen’s title challenge

There are still a maximum of 211 points up for grabs in the final seven rounds of the season, which includes three Sprint races in Austin, Sao Paulo and Lusail.

With his deficit to the championship leader standing at 69 points, Verstappen will need to finish ahead of the McLaren duo in the majority of races in order for him to eat into Piastri’s lead enough for him to be on top by the time the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.

Former driver turned pundit Jolyon Palmer believes it is crucial for Verstappen to win in Singapore for him to be a serious contender to secure a fifth consecutive title.

Verstappen has already stated that he won’t be taking part in any more GT3 races in the current calendar year, hinting that the Dutchman will be taking his full-time drive in Formula 1 a lot more seriously after putting himself in contention.