Indycar champion: “Verstappen would have won the title there 2 months ago”

The 2025 F1 season is a familiar one: After the summer break, Max Verstappen made a remarkable comeback but ultimately fell two points short of a fifth consecutive world title. Despite this, the Dutch driver was recognized as the best driver of 2025, and his colleagues and team leaders almost unanimously agreed on this.

Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou shares this sentiment. The Spanish pilot, who previously raced at McLaren, does not even hesitate to compare Verstappen’s level with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Palou stated that he could compete for the championship at McLaren, but this was not certain:

“Would I be champion at McLaren? I think so, but I’m not sure. We might struggle, but we’ll never know. When I got behind the wheel, the car could have been half a second slower. I’ve only driven it once, so it’s hard to say.”

Palu has no doubts about Verstappen:

“Absolutely yes. He could have won the championship at McLaren within a few weeks of finishing, maybe even two months. I can fight for the title, but not two months before the end of the season. And Max is the only one who can do that.”