How Max Verstappen’s charge has turned F1 title battle into a three-way fight

Max Verstappen’s charge back into the Formula One championship race has disrupted McLaren’s plans for a team-mate title tussle.

With five rounds to go, Oscar Piastri’s lead has been slashed to 14 points from Lando Norris and 40 points to four-time champion Verstappen.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how a fascinating title race is shaping up ahead of this weekend’s trip to Mexico City.

Nobody is more surprised than the Dutchman. He declared his chances over before the summer break but has won three of the last four races to charge back into the fight.

Verstappen trailed Piastri by 104 points after Zandvoort just five races ago but has slashed that by 64 points after taking a perfect 33 last weekend in Austin.

Verstappen says that Red Bull and new team principal Laurent Mekies have simply unlocked the potential in their car and the previous struggles – where he won just two of the first 15 races – appear long behind them.

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