Ahead of the 2025 edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix though, Verstappen now plays the role of hunter as he trails Norris by 36 points in the Standings.

Looking toward the race in Sao Paulo, the reigning F1 champion outlined the particularities that make the race in Brazil "special," among which are of course, his family, and the weather which more often than not wreaks havoc, creating top knotch racing, such as his epic charge from P17 to P1 last year.

He said: "Brazil is a special place for me, not only because of the incredible races and the great moments that we have had there but also because my family in laws are also from Brazil.

The Dutch driver then reflected on his Brazil GP bespoke helmet design, the fans' passion and the storied "old school" layout of the Interlagos circuit, which make the atmosphere "incredible."

He continued: "I will be wearing my special Brazil helmet for this race. It is a place that has a lot of history and a great legacy but also holds so many great memories for me.

Verstappen, though, won't have to fight his championship rivals alone, specially not if teammate Yuki Tsunoda has any say on the matter.

Ahead of the 2025 Brazilian GP the Japanese driver highlighted the tough conditions the F1 paddock expects to encounter in Sao Paulo.

He said: "Brazil is always an exciting race, with weather that can throw up the unexpected. It looks like the rain could play a part in our weekend there again but everyone will be in the same position and it's about how we maximise the time on track and handle it as a Team."

Tsunoda hopes that between the weather, the Sprint format of the weekend and his progress, a bigger reward will be available for the team, emphasising consistency will be key to extract the best possible result, highlighting Red Bull's fight for P2 in the Constructors and Verstappen's title bid as the two main objectives of the weekend.

He continued: "The Sprint format always holds its own challenges but add some rain in there and it could be a crazy weekend! The benefit for me is that across the last two weekends the car has felt great when it has come to race pace, I'm lapping very close to Max and I feel confident in the car and the updates we have made.

"If I can be consistent across the two qualifying sessions then we should put ourselves in a strong position to be up there in the Sprint and the race. This weekend is about helping boost our Constructors points and being able to support Max where I can," Tsunoda concluded.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.