Verstappen Pulling Off a Mega Comeback: “In Zandvoort, I’d Have Called You an Idiot!”

Max Verstappen delivered another outstanding performance in Austin, winning both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. The Dutchman’s double victory cut further into McLaren’s championship lead — something even Verstappen admits he hadn’t expected a few months ago.

A run of form

Verstappen is enjoying a remarkable second half of the Formula 1 season. Since Zandvoort, the four-time world champion hasn’t put a wheel wrong, claiming three race wins and re-establishing himself as a serious title contender. Taking advantage of McLaren’s recent missteps, he’s slowly closed the gap to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — keeping the dream of a fifth world title alive.

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When asked by De Telegraaf whether he believed such a turnaround was possible, Verstappen couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’d told me after Zandvoort that I’d still be in the fight now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “I’d have called you an idiot!”

McLaren remains the benchmark

Despite his success, Verstappen insists McLaren still has the edge in pure pace. “It’s not going to be easy,” he admitted. “McLaren was actually very quick here in America — I just made the difference in the early part of the race.”

That early phase proved decisive, as Lando Norris was stuck behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari for several laps. “You could see that once Lando got into clean air, he was just as fast as me, maybe even a bit faster,” Verstappen explained. “We’ve made up a lot of ground in the past few weeks, but the margins between us are still very small.”

“Every detail counts”

Looking ahead, Verstappen knows that perfection will be required to complete his unlikely comeback. “We have to try to get everything right in these last five race weekends,” he said. “Details really make the difference. Every week we need to find the best possible setup — and then make sure we don’t make any mistakes.”

The impossible dream?

For a driver who once dismissed his title chances entirely, Verstappen’s resurgence has been nothing short of spectacular. With five races to go, the Dutchman’s message is clear:

the miracle isn’t complete yet, but he’s not done fighting. And if history has taught the Formula 1 world anything, it’s this — never count Max Verstappen out.