When Max Verstappen claimed four of the opening five races of this year's Formula 1 championship, it appeared all but certain that the flying Dutchman was going to win four world titles in a row.
Coming off a history-making 2023 when Red Bull won 21 of the 22 grands prix held that year, F1's status quo was going to continue for another year — or so we thought.
F1 returns this weekend and Verstappen holds a 52-point lead in the drivers' championship, but that margin feels slender as Lando Norris and McLaren surge.
McLaren now leads the constructors' championship and is odds-on to claim that title for the first time since 1998, while Norris has continued to produce masterful drivers worthy of a champion.
Meanwhile, since Verstappen's triumph in Barcelona on June 23 neither he or Red Bull have claimed a race win.
The triple-world champion heads into the final quarter of the season with a genuine challenger and the United States Grand Prix is a race that Norris is highlighting as a massive opportunity for points.
"It's a great race to start the final leg of the season after a few weeks off," he said.
"It's also a sprint weekend, which means there are more points on the table.
"I've spent some time back at the [team facility] in the sim preparing for the upcoming triple header. The next two months are going to be incredibly busy, but also exciting."
There is a maximum of 180 points to be won for a driver in the remaining six grands prix, and three sprint races, with Norris needing to score an average of 8.66 points more than Verstappen each weekend.
While Norris is a genuine challenger, he will need to be near-perfect and have Verstappen falter in the season's final quarter.
Verstappen can finish second in every grand prix and sprint race and win his fourth drivers' title.
Meanwhile, McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri is hunting more success in what has been a sensational season for the second-year-driver.
While mathematically still in the title race, third place is the highest Piastri could realistically achieve.
Heading into the final stretch of the season, Piastri is fourth in the championship just eight points adrift from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Piastri also has a major role to play as McLaren strive to win the constructors' championship — which determines the prize money for teams at the end of the year.
"It was good to have a few weeks to recharge but also work with my engineers to prepare for the next few races," Piastri said.
"We've built up some incredible momentum now, so it's just about continuing to consistently execute good results from our side."
