Sebastian Vettel has tipped Max Verstappen to beat Lando Norris to the Formula 1 title this year, despite his car not being the fastest.
Verstappen is facing tremendous pressure to hold on to his world championship advantage, with Red Bull having been out developed over the 2024 season by main rivals McLaren and Ferrari.
Although the Dutchman holds a 47-points advantage in the drivers’ standings ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint, he knows that Norris has been chipping away at him since the summer break – and he could lose a lot of ground at Interlagos if McLaren is as quick as it has looked so far.
But despite the relative pace of the Red Bull and the McLaren, former Red Bull driver Vettel thinks that Verstappen is the one that still holds the advantage right now.
He thinks a combination of Verstappen’s driving confidence, plus Norris facing a renewed challenge from Ferrari, could be enough to prove decisive in how the drivers’ battle unfolds.
Speaking to Sky Germany, he said: “As much as I'd like us all to have a really exciting race right to the end, I think Max is now so hardened, so confident in his driving ... we rarely see any mistakes from him, from his side.
“Even if his car is perhaps no longer quite as strong as it was at the start of the year, I still see him as the favourite. I think he's still strong enough to always score enough points. And Lando is no longer in a position where he can win every race so easily.
“So, I would say that the role of favourite is clear - and lies with Max. But of course, as an independent spectator, I also hope that it will be even closer.”
The Norris/Verstappen battle has become more intense in recent races, with the pair having controversial clashes at both the United States and Mexico Grands Prix.
And while Verstappen’s willingness to take things to the edge in his battle with Norris have left some suggesting the British drivers needs to get his elbows out more, McLaren says it does not want its driver to change his approach.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, said: “I think Lando is coping with this situation of being in the fight for the championship in a way that we are enjoying, first of all, I would say. He's now a very mature driver.
“The race craft keeps improving all the time. The attitude, the learning from every situation, which we can appreciate almost on a race-by-race timescale. I think Lando is definitely now a mature driver to succeed in this kind of fight, which is a fight against one of the best drivers, I think, in the history of Formula 1.
“We just keep telling Lando all the time: keep doing what we are doing, let's keep improving all the time, let's become the best version of ourselves, race after race.”
