Max Verstappen's already-slim championship hopes took a significant hit at Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix when frustration got the better of him and he drove his Red Bull into the side of George Russell's Mercedes. That led to a 10-second time penalty, which translated into a 10th-place finish and a single championship point from a race weekend in which a podium finish and 15 points were so nearly within his grasp.

The Current Standings

The result means the defending champion is now 49 points adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri in the drivers' standings and 39 points off Lando Norris in second place. As Verstappen was grilled by media after the race about his questionable race craft, he was keen to deflect the criticism and talk about anything else -- including his dwindling title chances.

Verstappen's Reaction

"If there are any [hopes], we are way too slow any way to fight for the title," he said. "I think that was clear again today."

McLaren's Dominance

Piastri and Norris duly emerged as the dominant force in qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya and went on to take a comfortable 1-2 victory in Sunday's race. On the face of it, the championship battle has never looked more like a two-horse race than it does now.

Can Verstappen Bounce Back?

But despite the flood of negative headlines on Sunday, his repentant Instagram post on Monday and a recalcitrant Red Bull all year, it would be an exceedingly brave call to rule Verstappen out of the title race just yet.

Why Verstappen Can't Be Counted Out

Cycle back to the first race of F1's European triple-header and the picture looked very different. In Imola, Verstappen took the lead of the race from Piastri at the first corner and went on to take a convincing victory ahead of both McLarens.

Technical Insights

Updates in Miami and Imola helped Verstappen find a happier balance in his car, which in turn allowed him to manage his tires more effectively and outpace the McLarens. What followed in Monaco and Spain was far less convincing, but came on two circuits that exposed some of the remaining weaknesses of the Red Bull -- and in the case of Spain, explicitly played to the strengths of McLaren.

McLaren's Strategy

"In a way, I'm a little surprised that we had such a clear advantage [in Spain]," McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said after his team's most dominant qualifying showing of the season on Saturday. "Especially I would have expected Red Bull to be a little closer based on some of the similar circuit characteristics that we found in Suzuka or in Imola. But I think in hindsight, looking at the temperatures, which were very high, the kind of limitations, which at least for us, they were mainly associated with the rear axle, and I think it's where our car performs very well."

The Road Ahead

Assuming he behaves himself, however, Verstappen needs to outscore Piastri by an average of 3.27 points per race over the remaining 15 rounds and Norris by 2.6 points to be crowned champion. Viewed like that, it's not an insurmountable challenge, but one that will require near-perfect performances for the rest of the season.

"Look, I think there's a significant gap now but there's an awful lot of points still available," Horner said on Sunday evening when asked if the drivers' title was already beyond Verstappen's grasp. "We're not even at halfway point in the year, so McLaren are in a very strong position, but we never give up."