Russell may be Verstappen's biggest ally in F1 Driver's title defence

While Verstappen undoubtedly faces an uphill battle to win the title for the fifth time, overcoming the current 63-point deficit to Piastri is not impossible. But George Russell’s recent resurgence with Mercedes creates a further layer of intrigue. He has finished on the podium in three of the last five races and is eager to finish the season well.

Verstappen's RB21 is set to receive another upgrade to his Red Bull in a bid to maintain his late-season challenge to McLaren. With 174 points still up for grabs, the title race is far from over.

Red Bull has an advantage over McLaren in that it still developing its car, despite the focus on the new regulations for next season. However, with six races remaining, the McLaren duo are looking nervously over their shoulders at reigning champion Max Verstappen. Here are the latest standings:

McLaren is no longer upgrading the MCL39, which has resulted in a significant dip in performance compared to their rivals in recent races.

Red Bull’s new floor has brought Verstappen back into the title mix. He is yet to finish behind either of the McLaren drivers since receiving the upgrade. With Red Bull eager to claim second spot in the constructors' championship, Dutchman’s hopes of overhauling them are not over yet.

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has confirmed that further changes to the car are in the works, and will be implemented soon: "Clearly, the constructors' championship is not finished for us, It's very important. With the philosophy of this team, with every race we participate in this championship, we never give anything away. But with the way we work, every time it's like that.

"We're a little late in development, a little late finalising the next car. It's the way our system works, and we take the benefit of it this year. We are maybe a little different to others in the way we work, but we have very good capacity internally in terms of manufacturing. It's what we are good at,” Wache said.

Verstappen heads into the United States Grand Prix this weekend as the favourite to win the race for the fourth time in five years and it would be a brave move to back against him achieving the feat Fans watching the race via F1 live streams may believe that Verstappen’s only hope of winning the title is if the McLaren drivers fail to finish some of the remaining races.

However, Verstappen could claim top spot if he wins the rest of the races and the McLaren pair alternate between second and third place finishes.

That unlikely scenario becomes more realistic when factoring in the possibility of Russell claiming podium finishes or McLaren’s cars dipping even further in performance. There is also the factor of the dynamic between Piastri and Norris to consider, with relations between the pair becoming a little more tense in recent weeks.

Piastri and Norris have been going head-to-head since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and one of them will likely win the title.

Having made contact in Singapore, the McLaren team will be keen to remind both drivers about their responsibilities. Verstappen will be waiting to pounce on any mistakes.