Fraser MasefieldFor Max Verstappen, a record-equalling fifth successive F1 world drivers’ title remains a possibility. An increasingly realistic possibility.
Only a handful of races ago, the Dutch maestro trailed the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri by a seemingly insurmountable points gap.
But, following superb victories in Italy, Azerbaijan, and Austin, [allied to podiums at Zandvoort, Singapore and Mexico] Verstappen remains firmly in the hunt.
Not since the great Michael Schumacher has any driver won five titles on the bounce. And it was Verstappen himself who prevented his great rival Lewis Hamilton from equalling that feat, albeit in a highly controversial finish to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The gap going into the Brazilian Grand Prix is now only 36 points between himself and new leader Norris. And, with the McLaren drivers squabbling over bragging rights, now could be the time to wedge a spanner between those works.
“We still have work to do, it was not a good weekend overall for us and to be P3 is good, but we need to win. So we’ll analyse everything and see what we can do better,” Verstappen told the official Red Bull Racing website after the Mexican GP.
Sweeping round the outside into the Senna ‘S’ 🚀#F1 || #BrazilGP 🇧🇷pic.twitter.com/R06wfEKiYw
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 2, 2025
“I lost 10 [points] to Lando, if you look at it like that,” added Verstappen as per BBC Sport. “I said before the weekend, everything needs to go perfect to win. And this weekend didn’t go perfect. So that’s your answer.
“It’s going to be tough, but let’s see what we can do in other tracks. I hope, of course, we won’t experience a weekend like this again, but it still shows that we’re not quick in every scenario. And that’s what we need to understand a bit better.”
Going in Verstappen’s favour is that he loves the challenging nature of the famous Interlagos Circuit. Indeed, his record betters that of the great Ayrton Senna. He has won in 2019, 2023 and 2024, equalling Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
Win on Sunday and Max will join Schumacher and Carlos Reutemann as a a 4x champion in Brazil and equal first to Schumacher on the challenging Interlagos circuit.
When Vettel became V3ttel 👑👑👑#F1 || #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/gS15KjxAIc
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 1, 2025
TECH TALK
Sometimes, looking the part can also give you that extra little confidence boost. This weekend, Max has a brand new helmet design on show.
This one’s for you 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/BGrq2uBVvu
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) October 28, 2025
“I will be wearing my special Brazil helmet for this race,” said Verstappen on his official website. “It is a place that has a lot of history and a great legacy but also holds so many great memories for me. I went for traditional colours on the helmet that really stand out, I think the design looks really cool and I’m excited to wear it on track.
“The fans are super passionate and I always love racing at such an old school track. Seeing that atmosphere and being part of it is incredible.”
A one off helmet for Brazil and Interlagos involves an intriguing design process. Motorsport Technology interviewed Jens Munser about the process behind helmet design.
BRAZIL GP SPECIAL – WHAT MAKES INTERLAGOS A TRUE TEST OF MAN AND MACHINE
