Max Verstappen’s F1 rivals put odds on his championship comeback

With wins in back-to-back races, Max Verstappen has pulled within 69 points of Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri in the title race, and just 44 points behind second-place Lando Norris.

If Verstappen were able to come back from such a deficit, with just seven race weekends left, and win a title, it would immediately rank at the top of F1’s greatest comeback efforts. But while the driver himself has dismissed such a notion -- stating after his win in Azerbaijan that he’ll wait to see where he stands after the season finale -- some of his rivals are giving him decent odds as he pursues a fifth title.

“I’ll say 20 [percent],” said Charles Leclerc during Thursday’s FIA Press Conference ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. “The gap is substantial. We’ve been on low-downforce tracks, Monza, Baku. I feel the Red Bull was very strong. I expect McLaren to come back to the pace we’ve seen for most of the season here and at some other future tracks. I see it very unlikely, but we never know.

“They brought an upgrade in Monza which seems to be working very much, but whether it will work on a high-downforce track, I don’t think enough to beat McLaren.”

“I’ll go with 15,” said Alex Albon. “You could have one crash between Lando and Oscar, and it’s all game on. I don’t know what the odds are at the bookies, but I’ll go 15.”

“I mean, we all know Max and how dangerous he is when there’s something to grab. So yeah, there’s a good chance that if he’s got a competitive car until the end of the year, he can catch back,” said Esteban Ocon.

George Russell, perhaps with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, gave Verstappen the best odds.

“100%,” exclaimed Russell, who was subject to rumors about the Red Bull driver perhaps replacing him at Mercedes earlier this summer.

One of the drivers Verstappen is chasing even weighed in.

“I mean, there’s a chance, so… more than zero,” said Norris. “I don’t know. It’s probably, like, actual stats. So, I don’t know. Yeah. There’s a chance.”

As for Verstappen himself, he insists that his comeback attempt will be “very tough.”

“Seven races to go and it’s still 69 points, it’s a lot,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

“Basically, everything needs to go perfect from my side and then a bit of luck from their side I need as well. So it’s still very tough.”

And with Singapore the next race on the docket -- a circuit where he has never won -- the next few days could prove determinative for him.