Max Verstappen heads to Austin this weekend with his sights set firmly on the two McLaren drivers ahead of him, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Dutchman may downplay his title chances, but many in the paddock — including former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer — believe he remains a serious threat.
Red Bull reborn
For much of the season, Verstappen’s hopes of a fifth world title seemed to have faded. The Red Bull struggled for pace, and McLaren appeared unstoppable. But since the summer break, the balance of power has shifted. Verstappen has taken two victories and finished runner-up in the other two races, while McLaren’s drivers have suffered from reliability issues and costly mistakes.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Palmer said he’s convinced Verstappen will continue to pressure the McLarens. “I think Max will remain a threat,” he said. “Just look at how Red Bull has improved over the last few races. Don’t forget Silverstone either — it’s quite similar in character to Austin. There are more slow corners in Austin, but Max was on pole at Silverstone with the trimmed-out Red Bull.”
The ruthless edge
Palmer praised both Verstappen’s form and Red Bull’s development curve, warning that neither should be underestimated. “We have to assume that Max and Red Bull will be right up there in the coming races,” he explained. “Because it’s Max — you can never rule him out. He knows how to link the weekends together. His qualifying laps are relentless. The margins are tiny, yet he finds them every single time. That’s what makes him so ruthless.”
Can he really win the title?
Despite Verstappen’s resurgence, Palmer remains cautious about the bigger picture. “It’s still hard to imagine him actually pulling it off,” he admitted. “If something goes wrong for Max in even one of the six remaining races, it’s over. And I just can’t see him dominating every single weekend from here.”
A quiet threat
Even so, Palmer and many others agree that Verstappen’s relentless precision makes him impossible to dismiss. Red Bull may have started the season on the back foot, but with the Dutchman in this kind of form, McLaren’s lead no longer feels safe. In a season that has
already defied expectations, Verstappen’s quiet, methodical comeback might yet become the story of the year.