As the sport witnesses what could be one of the greatest comebacks in its 75 year history, Helmut Marko admits that at one stage Max Verstappen gave up on the 2025 crown.

Before we go any further however, may we point out that the Dutchman is not 'defending' his title. The title is won every individual year, it is not like boxing where it can be claimed/won by a rival. In the same way there is no such thing as a 'former' world champion in F1 because whoever wins the title in a particular year has won it forever, it cannot be claimed by another driver... though the 2021 crown remains open to discussion.

Anyway, as Verstappen sets about the Herculean task of closing the 55-point gap to Oscar Piastri, Marko admits that just a few races ago the Dutchman had given up on the 2025 title.

"Max, at one stage when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a little bit interest," the Austrian told Sky Sports. "He was more interested in GT racing so to keep him in a good mood I was talking about Nurburgring and things like that.

"But now that the car is working and with his success at the Nurburgring, I would say two-tenths just came from him because he's really motivated, he's enjoying F1. You don't hear him shouting, he's smiling so that's what you need."

Asked if the Dutchman can do the seemingly impossible, Marko said: "It's too early to say, but this weekend looks promising.

"Since Zandvoort, we were always fighting for P1, P2," he continued. "So the direction is OK. Unfortunately, this turnaround came a little bit late."

Nonetheless, other than Verstappen's determination, the Austrian praised the turnaround in terms of the performance of the RB21.

"All this talk of medium speed, temperature and all these stories, they don't count anymore," he insisted. "We are there, and if in one corner we may be off the pace, it's within thousands of a second. It's not like it was before, half a second or so in some sectors.

"It shows that our car made a big step forward and Max, of course, is using it to the maximum. If we would have made this turnaround earlier, the championship would look different."

However, Marko admits that the outcome of the 2025 title fight isn't entirely down to Verstappen and his car.

"I think we can't do it on our own," he said. "We need some help from McLaren. It's not impossible."

Verstappen, when asked if he believes he can really turn things around, continued to insists that he is not looking at the big picture.

"It's not about believing in it," he said, "I just take it race by race. I just try to do the best I can.

"Today it was perfect for me to get those points. It brings me a bit closer, for sure. Which I think is nice for everyone. Maybe not for them, but in general for everyone.

"But I look into different things. I was not entirely happy with the pace in the race, and I know if we want to win tomorrow, we need to be better. And that's what I'll just focus on."

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