McLaren leapt into a 20-point lead after Oscar Piastri's victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and Lando Norris, who carved his way to fourth place, is hunting down the Dutchman at the top of the drivers' standings.
Three-time world champion Verstappen's lead has been reduced to 59 points with seven grands prix and three sprints to go, leaving a maximum of 206 points up for grabs.
He won seven of the first 10 races this season, but has not triumphed in the last seven as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have all taken race wins.
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko said after Baku, where Verstappen finished fifth, that they have no chance of retaining the constructors' title, but the Dutchman has not conceded defeat yet.
Declaring that the "fight is not over," he said: "Marina Bay is a cool circuit but we do expect this to be a bit more of a challenge.
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