Verstappen celebrates Baku pole. Photo: RacePictures

McLaren boss declares Verstappen is back in the F1 title fight

19:01, 20 Sep

Updated: 20:18, 20 Sep

byNorberto Mujica

Following Max Verstappen's pole position in Azerbaijan, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella states the Dutchman is a "serious contender" to win the Driver's title.

Verstappen and Red Bull team members celebrate Azerbaijan GP pole position. Photo: RacePictures

Red Bull are a very serious contender to win races and a very serious contender for the Drivers' Championship.

- Andrea Stella

After the challenging qualifying session in Baku where Verstappen clinched pole, making him the driver with the most poles in 2025, Stella reacted to Red Bull's recent surge of performance.

"Well, the takeaway from the Monza race and the way we have reviewed this internally and set our mindset for the final third of the races, was that Red Bull's performance in Monza should not be considered a one-off because of Monza, or a one-off because of low downforce."

Stella then highlighted the new floor Max Verstappen's team introduced in Italy, which the Italian believes could be translating into loads of performance for the RB21.

"They have taken a new floor in Monza. They might be setting up their car slightly differently. We hear now the staff talking about [the car] grounding much more than it was doing before.

"So they might have a lot of performance. And I would not be surprised at all that Red Bull may continue the streak that they have started, because pole position in Monza, victory [there as well], pole position here.

"Red Bull are a very serious contender to win races and a very serious contender for the Drivers' Championship," Stella concluded.

Verstappen is the perennial thorn at McLaren's side

Max Verstappen's pole position in Baku rendered him the driver with the most pole positions in 2025 so far. The Dutchman, despite Red Bull's inital struggles, has been able to make the best of his RB21 against the evidently superior McLaren cars.

Drawing blood whenever the chance is there, the Dutchman has five pole positions to his name, one more than championship leader Oscar Piastri, who holds a gap over Verstappen of 94 points in the Drivers' Championship.

With eight Grands Prix left to go it seems highly unlikely that the Dutchman can pip either Piastri or Lando Norris, current runner-up in the Standings, to the title... But not impossible.