The 2025 Formula 1 season was supposed to be the year the dynasty ended. It was supposed to be the year the papaya-clad heroes of Woking finally toppled the Red Bull giant. And yet, as we sit here on November 25, 2025, staring down the barrel of the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the script has been violently rewritten.

Following a catastrophic “double disqualification” for McLaren—a blow stemming from ride-height infringements that decimated their points haul—the impossible has suddenly become plausible. Max Verstappen, the man who spent the mid-season fighting a car that looked more like a wild stallion than a precision machine, is back in the hunt.

The gap sits at 24 points. It’s a mountain, yes. But if there is one driver in the history of this sport who treats mountains like speed bumps, it is Max Emilian Verstappen.

The “Kobe” Factor: Why Max is Dangerous When Cornered

There is a specific breed of athlete that thrives not when the sun is shining, but when the storm is at its fiercest. In the NBA, it was Kobe Bryant. In tennis, Novak Djokovic. In the NFL, Tom Brady. These are competitors who don’t just beat you with skill; they beat you with a suffocating, icy inevitability.

Max Verstappen has entered that rarefied air in 2025.

Early in his career, Verstappen was the villain—aggressive, brash, uncompromising. But much like Kobe or Djokovic, that villainy has matured into a terrifying competence that even his detractors have learned to respect. While Lando Norris and McLaren have had arguably the faster package for the latter half of the season, Verstappen has been the superior operator. He has dragged results out of the RB21 that simply weren’t there on paper.

“In the moment of the GP that Max went on to win, he said ‘no risk and full push,'” a recent analysis noted. “For him to win this 2025 championship, it’s going to have to be all risk and full push.”

That is the difference. Lando Norris is driving to protect a lead, driving with the weight of a “career-defining moment” on his shoulders. Max Verstappen is driving with the freedom of a man who has nothing to lose and a legacy to cement. He is in the zone. And when Max is in the zone, logic often leaves the building.

The Self-Inflicted Wound: McLaren’s Technical Nightmare

The championship narrative shifted on its axis not on the track, but in the scrutineering bay. McLaren’s recent disqualification for plank wear—a result of running the car too low to gain aerodynamic performance—is a disaster of epic proportions.

It’s not just about the points lost; it’s about the psychological and technical handcuffs it places on the team for the final two rounds.

Heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, a circuit notorious for its high-speed corners and bumpy surface, McLaren is now backed into a corner. They cannot afford another disqualification. This means they will almost certainly have to raise the ride height of the car. In the world of ground-effect aerodynamics, raising the car even a few millimeters can be the difference between dominating a corner and struggling for grip.

“The team is going to want to take no risk in these last two GPs,” analysts predict. “That could mean them actually raising the ride height a little bit and losing a little bit of pace.”

Conversely, Red Bull and Verstappen can afford to be reckless. They can run the car on the absolute ragged edge. Qatar is a mandatory two-stop race due to tire life concerns, meaning tire preservation is out the window. It will be a qualifying session that lasts for 57 laps. This is a scenario that favors the bravest driver and the team willing to gamble everything. Right now, that is Red Bull.

The Battlefield: Qatar vs. Abu Dhabi

The final showdown plays out across two very different stages, each offering a glimmer of hope to one of the protagonists.

Qatar: The Red Bull Stronghold? History and track characteristics suggest Qatar is Verstappen’s to lose. The high-speed, flowing nature of the Lusail International Circuit mimics the conditions where the Red Bull concept has traditionally excelled. Even with the turbulent RB20 in 2024, Verstappen found a way to win here.

If McLaren is forced to compromise their setup for legality reasons, Verstappen could walk away with a dominant victory. If he wins and Lando falters—perhaps cracking under the immense pressure or struggling with a “safe” setup—that 24-point gap could evaporate before the paddock even packs up for the season finale.

Abu Dhabi: The Final Fortress However, if the title fight goes down to the wire in Abu Dhabi, the pendulum swings back toward Woking. The Yas Marina Circuit is trickier for the current Red Bull machinery. It lacks the sheer high-speed dominance of Qatar and features technical sectors where the McLaren has been superior all year.

“I think this is going to be fully reliant on McLaren making a mistake,” experts warn regarding a Red Bull win in Abu Dhabi. Unless the Red Bull sister team, RB, can pull off a strategic masterclass (reminiscent of the chaotic 2021 finale), Verstappen will need more than just raw pace to win here; he will need luck.

Lando’s Moment of Truth

We cannot ignore the human element in the other cockpit. Lando Norris has had a season of incredible highs and heartbreaking lows. From mechanical DNFs to his own admitted errors, he has battled back every time. But this is different.

This is the “squeaky bum time,” as Sir Alex Ferguson would say. The DSQ wasn’t Lando’s fault—it was a team error—but he pays the price. If he loses this championship after leading it so late in the game, it could leave a scar that never heals. Conversely, if he can hold off a charging Verstappen despite a compromised car, he will prove he is truly World Champion material.

The Verdict: Can He Do It?

If Lando Norris outscores Max Verstappen by just two points in Qatar, the dream is over. Max’s comeback becomes mathematically impossible. But if Max survives Qatar—if he wins and cuts the deficit—we head to Abu Dhabi for a winner-takes-all showdown.

Max Verstappen is chasing his fifth world title. A win here would arguably be his greatest, surpassing even the drama of 2021. He made a critical error in Spain earlier this year—a moment of immaturity that cost him 10 points—but he has spent the rest of the season driving like a man possessed.

The smart money says the gap is too big. The smart money says McLaren is too strong. But in 2025, the smart money has been wrong time and time again.

Max Verstappen is coming. And he’s bringing the storm with him.