Max Verstappen is on the verge of clinching his fourth consecutive world championship and could leave Las Vegas with the title.
The Dutchman only needs to outscore his nearest rival, Lando Norris, to win the championship despite a tricky season.
Verstappen superbly returned to form last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as he took victory from 17th on the grid in the rain.
He had to storm through the field and pass cars. He has made it clear it is very difficult to pass Verstappen around the outside after his on-track battles.
His win last time out in Brazil was his first since the Spanish Grand Prix in June before McLaren improved over the summer.
Verstappen told the BBC why Ferrari and McLaren surprised him this season after he dominated the 2023 season for Red Bull.
Max Verstappen was ‘surprised’ at how slowly Ferrari and McLaren started the season
Red Bull and Verstappen in particular dominated the opening rounds of the world championship with the Dutchman winning seven of the first 10 races.
This run allowed him to build a healthy championship advantage before other teams built momentum. McLaren improved in Miami as Norris took his first Grand Prix victory.
Ferrari took an emotional win at Monaco as Charles Leclerc became the first Monegasque to win his home race.
Verstappen explained that it was strange to see McLaren and Ferrari start so far back, but he wasn’t happy with his car’s handling early in the year.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen tells Lando Norris and Formula 1 rivals how they should overtake him
He said: “We started really dominant but I also feel like some teams didn’t start as well as they should have compared to last year so we were a bit surprised about that.
“(We felt) it’s a bit weird how the others are not really making the step forward. So then I guess they got their stuff sorted out.
“I already said from the beginning of the year that I was not entirely happy with how the car was handling.”
Next season may be more difficult for Max Verstappen
If the chasing pack can start the 2025 season closer to Red Bull or even in front of them it would make Verstappen’s life more difficult.
Red Bull are unlikely to win this season’s Constructors’ Championship and have dropped to third place behind McLaren and Ferrari.
READ MORE: F1 2025 driver line-up with every team’s confirmed entry for the grid
Verstappen has comfortably beaten his teammate Sergio Perez as the Mexican hasn’t been on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix.
Mercedes and Ferrari both have exciting new driver pairings with Lewis Hamilton alongside Leclerc at Ferrari while Andrea Kimi Antonelli partners Mercedes’ George Russell.
This may add another layer of unpredictability to the championship at the start of a very long 24-race calendar.
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