Verstappen Reignites F1 Title Pursuit After Mid-Season Lull

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed that Max Verstappen lost interest in defending his 2025 Formula 1 title earlier this year when the RB21 car was underperforming. Verstappen became more focused on GT racing during this period, but his victory at a GT3 race at the Nürburgring reignited his motivation for Formula 1. Since then, upgrades and configuration changes to the Red Bull car have unlocked more performance, allowing Verstappen to close the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 55 points with six races remaining. Verstappen has shown strong form recently, including winning the U.S. Grand Prix sprint race and securing pole position for the main event. Although Marko is optimistic about Verstappen's prospects, he remains cautious, emphasizing that it is too early to declare him back in the title fight. Verstappen himself focuses on taking each race as it comes rather than fixating on the points deficit.