"The greatest we have": Max Verstappen backed by pundit to challenge Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for a 5th F1 title

Jamie Chadwick has backed Max Verstappen to be a factor in the 2025 F1 title campaign after the driver slashed the points deficit to just 69 points. The Dutch driver has hit a purple patch in the last couple of races in Monza and Baku, where he went on to dominate both the events.

As a result, the driver has slashed his points deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to 69 points now, with just 7 races left. A lot of the credit for the driver's success has been given to how well he's executed the races and the introduction of a new floor in Monza that has seemingly solved a lot of problems for Red Bull.

After his win in Baku, there have been questions raised on whether Max Verstappen could potentially be a title contender this season. Although the driver shrugged off any of these suggestions, the threat seems real, as Jamie Chadwick also backed the driver to become a factor in the championship this season. She said on Sky Sports,

"It was phenomenal. I think that's obviously where he thrives in those tricky conditions. But still, they've clearly found something with the car, which is great because that's given him sort of a car that he can compete at the front. But even when it's tough, he always seems to excel. And that's what makes him, in my opinion, in the current crop, the greatest we have."

He added,

"And I think it's incredible to see. It's interesting now the title fight, because it's a lot of points. He's 69 points away. I think there's just under 200 left. So it's a big, big ask, but I would never rule him out, and also, he's not ruling himself out. He kind of smiled about it at the weekend and said, it's a lot of points. But never say never. And I like that."

Max Verstappen has let go of the demotivating demeanor

Chadwick also pointed out how, compared to how he was earlier in the season, when he continued to downplay his chances and looked demotivated, the driver does appear up for the task right now. Talking about Max Verstappen, she said,

"I think he's got this sort of spring in his step again. We saw this demotivated sort of lull in his atmosphere and vibe earlier in the year, and now it's game time again. He's got that kind of spring in his step and he wants to go after it."

The Dutch driver will now move to Singapore for the next race. It is one track where Max Verstappen has not had a good record in general, and would be hoping to set things right as things get exciting once again when it comes to the title battle.