“We need a lot of luck”: Verstappen faces the Vegas run-in with clear eyes

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

Going into the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Red Bull's Max Verstappen addressed the state of the Drivers' Championship, the performance of his car, and the notable progress of his rival, Lando Norris, as he prepares for the final races of the season.

Trailing by 49 points, the four-time World Champion is adopting a pragmatic, low-pressure approach.

Credit: Formula One

On the title fight: The need for luck

Verstappen was candid about the significant gap to Championship leader Lando Norris, acknowledging that the title is no longer in his hands.

"I mean, it's a lot of points, so I'm not really thinking about it too much, because there's also not much that I can do. We need a lot of luck now ‘til the end to even have an opportunity. So I, personally, don’t think about that."

Despite the uphill battle, his approach remains simple: "Same as always. Doesn't really change."

He simply wants to close out the year on a strong note: "I just want to have a good weekend, good weekends till the end. And then, yeah, after Abu Dhabi, we close the book, have a bit of time off, and we go again next year."

Assessing his own season: Enjoying the highs

Reflecting on a season marked by incredible drives but also a challenging car, Verstappen confirmed his satisfaction with his own consistency, even if the overall results weren't what he aimed for.

"It's been good for sure. I think every season you want to try and be better... and try to really optimise everything that you can with the car. And I think most of the time, we really did that. So I'm pleased with that."

However, he confessed the season fell short of his ultimate goal. "But yeah, I mean, it's not where I wanted it to be for most of the season, right? Otherwise, you're fighting really for the title — and we haven't really."

He found pride in the team's ability to fight back after difficult spells. "At one point — after the summer break — we were looking at a points gap of more than a hundred points, and it really looked like it was only going to get bigger. And at one point, we were really overturning that by quite a bit... I think that's something we can be proud of — to still score some good results at the end of the season."

Credit: Formula One

Verstappen’s take on Norris’s rise

Asked about Lando Norris's notable step up this year—a season where the Briton is now leading the championship—Verstappen reflected on the natural growth of a driver.

"I think, lately, yeah, the weekends seem to be really coming together very nicely. So, yeah, in that sense, definitely a bit different."

He drew parallels to his own philosophy, suggesting consistent self-improvement is key for all drivers. "But, I mean, every year you also grow and learn from past mistakes or weekends where you think you could have done a better job, and that goes for everyone. It's not only particularly Lando in this case."

He reaffirmed the encouraging words he gave Norris a year ago: "And what I said last year, I meant — simple as that. There's nothing that I lied about, and it's quite clear, right, this season. Sometimes, yeah, you just need to be a bit patient and wait for your moment."

Looking ahead to Vegas

Verstappen believes his pace from the previous race in Brazil gives him confidence that he can challenge for a win, if the Red Bull feels similar on the Las Vegas street circuit.

"Well, I mean, looking back at Brazil, yeah, I guess so, because the race pace was pretty decent... I hope that we can be competitive this weekend."

The last race, where he raced "through the pack and fighting basically until the final lap" for a podium finish, was ultimately enjoyable: "I had good fun, and I hope that we can be competitive this weekend."