Can Max Verstappen win fifth consecutive F1 title after dramatic victory in Las Vegas GP? Scenarios explained

Formula 1 continues to witness high-voltage drama towards the end of the 2025 season with Max Verstappen winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, keeping his slim title hopes alive in the process.

Defending champion Verstappen has won each of the last four seasons, which started with the Dutch F1 star denying Lewis Hamilton a record eighth world title in 2021. And after a turbulent 2025 season in which Red Bull Racing parted ways with long-serving team principal Christian Horner and a mid-season slump for the 28-year-old, Verstappen finds himself facing the possibility of winning a fifth consecutive world title.

What further boosted Verstappen’s faint title hopes was the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting disqualified after Saturday’s race in ‘Sin City’.

This is what it means for Max and Red Bull 🥰✨#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/8U0BTs2LK3

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2025

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Current leader Norris had initially finished second with Piastri fourth. However, the British-Australian pair was disqualified after a post-race inspection, in which the rearmost skid wear on both McLaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum thickness of 9 mm.

As a result of their disqualification, Verstappen has now gone level with Piastri – who was top of the table at one point this season – on 366 points and trails Norris by another 24. And with just two races left this season in Doha and Abu Dhabi with the former also hosting a sprint race, the season appears set for one of the most dramatic conclusions in recent F1 history.

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How Verstappen can still win the 2025 F1 Driver’s title

Can Verstappen win the 2025 Formula 1 driver’s championship from this point though, the chances of which appeared virtually over until his turnaround starting with the Dutch GP?

A total of 58 points are on offer in the remainder of the season, and Verstappen’s best chance at winning title No 5 will be to sweep all three races. In such a scenario, the Dutch racer will finish ahead of Piastri and have a 34-point lead over Norris’ current tally of 390 points.

24 points separate them! 🤯

It's all to play for heading into the final two rounds 👀#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/ahv08Yf3T4

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2025

Verstappen, therefore, will have to hope the Briton doesn’t collect 35 or more points in the last two races and in the sprint race. Norris could spoil Verstappen’s title hopes simply by finishing runner-up in the Doha and Abu Dhabi races alone, with the sprint race being a bonus in such a scenario.

Should Norris fail to secure a podium finish in both races, the possibility of which appears highly slim, the maximum points he can accrue is 24 – in which case he will miss out on the title even if he wins the sprint race in Qatar.

Norris, however, can spoil Verstappen’s party by winning the Qatar GP, which should make him the solid favourite for the title even if the Red Bull star wins the sprint race as well as the Abu Dhabi GP.