Max Verstappen: F1 World Championship ‘For Sure’ Possible After US GP Victory

AUSTIN, TEXAS – For the first time all year, a newly confident Max Verstappen has publicly acknowledged that winning the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship is a realistic goal, marking a major shift in tone for the four-time champion.

Following a commanding performance at the United States Grand Prix—where he secured pole position and victories in both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix—Verstappen dropped his characteristic caution and admitted the monumental comeback is now officially on.

“For sure, the chance is there,” Verstappen stated after the race, a significant deviation from his previous insistence on taking the season “race by race.”Verstappen’s previous reluctance to discuss the title was understandable, given McLaren’s formidable pace through the first half of the year. Despite beginning to consistently win races in September, the vast points deficit meant the Dutchman had publicly dismissed any championship talk until now.

Even entering the Austin weekend, where he had won two of the last three Grands Prix (and finished second in the other), Verstappen had maintained his conservative public stance. His victory at the US GP, however, has seemingly transformed his internal belief into palpable public confidence.Verstappen stressed that seizing the championship from the leading McLaren drivers will require an immaculate end to the season, but he is clearly energized by the challenge.

“We just need to try and deliver these kind of weekends to the end. We will try. It is exciting,” he said. “Of course we know we need to be perfect to the end of the season to have a chance, but we will try, and if we succeed, of course amazing.”

The championship challenger described his team’s mindset as one of “positive pressure,” not stress. “If we don’t, we tried everything we could to the end and we kept it exciting. That’s the spirit for us. It’s positive pressure. It’s not putting anything on us. We’re not stressed about it. We’re just going flat out.”

With the gap shrinking significantly, Verstappen’s public admission signals a high-stakes finale to the Formula 1 season.