Max Verstappen issues five-word Red Bull demand after Lando Norris landed F1 title blow

Max Verstappen stated, "We need to be faster," sending a clear message to his Red Bull team as they look to hunt down Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to steal the Drivers' Championship title.

The Dutchman finished third at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, capping off a strong recovery drive from fifth on the grid. However, with Norris taking the chequered flag by a margin of over 30 seconds to Charles Leclerc - the biggest since Verstappen's 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix win - the title fight has taken a turn.

Norris now leads the way from team-mate Piastri by a solitary point with four rounds of the season remaining, while Verstappen is 36 points back from the Brit in P1. The four-time world champion did reduce the arrears by four points in Mexico, but that rate of progression will not be enough to topple the McLaren duo.

"We need to be faster," Verstappen declared on Sunday. "We had some really good races, but even in the races that we won, if you look at the tyre management and stuff, I think McLaren were very strong. And on a weekend where they have more pace in general, then you have no chance."

Verstappen still has time to claw his way back into the fight. The 27-year-old has four Grands Prix and two sprint races left on his schedule before the chequered flag waves in Abu Dhabi, although he needs to be perfect over the next month to give himself a chance.

"I lost 10 points to Lando, so as I said before the weekend, everything needs to go perfect to win," he said. "And this weekend didn't go perfect. So that's your answer. I think it's going to be tough.

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"But let's see what we can do in other tracks. I hope, of course, we won't experience a weekend like this again, but it still shows that we're not quick in every scenario. And that's what we need to understand, I think, a bit better."

It was at this point in 2024 that the wheels came off Norris' title challenge. The Bristol-born racer struggled to sixth place in a rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix before repeating that finish in Las Vegas. Then, in Qatar, he could only manage P10.

This time around, though, McLaren is stronger, and Verstappen has two drivers to contend with. That said, Piastri has now been outscored by both of his title rivals in the last five Grands Prix, making the upcoming trip to Sao Paulo critical for the Australian's World Championship dreams.