Chandhok sees resurgent Verstappen and Red Bull: 'Absolutely back'

Just after the summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen sat 104 points off championship leader Oscar Piastri in the drivers' standings, all but out of championship contention.

Now, after three wins in the last four races, a resurgent Dutchman and his Austrian team have flown up the standings and cut the deficit in the standings to just 40 points with five races remaining, unearthing some pace that no one expected.

"For me, this was the most important one of the last four weekends, because this was the first normal track," Chandhok explained on Sky Sports' podcast, 'The F1 Show', after Verstappen's commanding weekend in Austin.

Plenty of talk surrounding Verstappen's title chances, potentially creating one of the biggest comebacks in F1 history, has arisen since he sealed another win.

Former teammate Daniel Ricciardo called the Dutchman "ridiculous" as his bid for a fifth consecutive title continues, with the Australian now vastly intrigued in how the title battle will play out.

However, Verstappen himself has remained tight-lipped about everything, whether that be the title battle itself, or even next weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix: "I don't really think about it. We'll find out next week. We could speculate, but I don't like that."