P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen has reiterated the stance that he is not in contention to win the championship in F1 in 2025 amid his conviction that McLaren is “unbeatable”.
Max Verstappen emphasized that he is not in contention to win the Formula 1 championship in 2025, stating McLaren is “unbeatable” in his eyes. Despite being behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in points, Verstappen insisted he is not in a direct title battle with Piastri and Lando Norris. Red Bull’s hope that the FIA’s crackdown on flexible front wings would impact McLaren did not come to fruition during the Spanish Grand Prix where Piastri achieved a dominant 1-2 finish. Verstappen’s clash with George Russell resulted in a penalty, denying him a higher finish, and he maintained he never considered himself in the championship running. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remains optimistic about closing the points gap to McLaren and keeping the title bid alive for 2025, despite currently trailing by 49 points. Horner acknowledged the team’s lack of competitiveness compared to McLaren in Barcelona but expressed determination to challenge for the championship. Lastly, there is a focus on Verstappen avoiding further incidents to prevent accumulating penalty points that could lead to a race ban.
