Analyst sees McLaren 'dropped the ball': Verstappen was 'flawless'

Former Jordan and Jaguar technical director Gary Anderson believes there could be another twist to the battle for the drivers' title.

"McLaren and both of their drivers dropped the ball in Baku," he began his column for The Telegraph.

"The track layout and that the Baku City Circuit does not emphasise many of the McLaren’s strengths, notably in medium and high-speed corners," he continued about McLaren's on-track performance.

The Northern Irishman continued: "I wonder if they (McLaren, ed.) have taken their eye off the ball slightly for this year given how far ahead they are (or were) in both championships.

"Most teams are focusing on 2026 now and, although McLaren will still claim the constructors’ title, the drivers’ title is not a foregone conclusion. I sense that both drivers felt that in Baku," he explained, adding that both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri 'overdrove' in Baku.

After the upturn in Red Bull's form over the recent weeks, as Verstappen finished second at Zandvoort before claiming back-to-back victories at Monza and Baku, Anderson is yet to count out the Dutchman, who was also 'flawless' last Sunday.

"Give him even half a chance and he seems to take it. McLaren simply cannot afford to keep leaking points to him if they want a first drivers’ title since 2008," he concluded.

After winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is now 69 points behind Piastri in the drivers' standings. The Dutchman trails the other McLaren driver, Norris, by 44 points.

There are seven Grands Prix and three Sprints left on the 2025 calendar.

About his chances, Verstappen said in Baku: "I don't rely on hope, but it's seven rounds left, and 69 points is a lot. So I personally don't think about it—I just take it race by race, which is what I’ve been doing basically the whole season: trying to do the best we can, trying to score as many points as possible. And then after Abu Dhabi, we'll know."

Red Bull top advisor Helmut Marko was also tight-lipped talking to Sky Sports DE. "Now comes Singapore, where we have not had any positive experiences so far. That's the only race Max didn't win. Let's see how it looks there."

Verstappen could already celebrate a title together with Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen winning the Gold Cup in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup driving for Verstappen.com Racing.

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