Even though Lando Norris concluded his run of Formula 1 championships at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen declared that this season marked his peak driving performance.
The Red Bull competitor commenced the season as a four-time reigning champion and had an opportunity to secure a fifth title, heading into the 2025 final race trailing Norris by a dozen points.
However, a win at Yas Marina proved insufficient, since the British driver secured the necessary third position to clinch his inaugural championship, ending the season two points ahead of Verstappen.
A crucial factor in the championship battle was McLaren’s initial superior vehicle, which secured victories in 12 of the first 15 Grands Prix, though Red Bull managed to recover its season with enhancements introduced at Monza for the 16th round.
From that point onward, Verstappen has triumphed in six out of nine Grands Prix, supplementing his earlier victories at Suzuka and Imola.
Therefore, his sustained contention for a fifth F1 title, even with a less competitive car for a significant portion of the season, prompted inquiries to the Dutch driver about whether this represented his finest performance to date.
“Yes, I believe so,” he replied. “I have no second thoughts about my season. My execution has been powerful; I have occasionally disliked this vehicle, but also intermittently cherished it, and I consistently aimed to maximize its potential, even during our challenging race weekends.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“The experience with the car has truly been a significant up-and-down journey, but fortunately, the most recent eight or nine events have generally been much more pleasing, and within the team, we currently possess an excellent mood; we are genuinely gaining momentum, with optimistic vigor, faith, and assurance, which is precisely what one desires moving into the upcoming year.”
Consequently, Verstappen concludes 2025 in a more content state than its commencement, a stark contrast to his mood at the close of 2024, when he narrowly secured a fourth championship after McLaren’s revival, spearheaded by Norris, during the latter part of that year.
“Achieving victory is always more gratifying,” Verstappen further stated. “However, truthfully, I am now sitting here with likely a more positive sentiment than I experienced at this point last year, given that the latter half of the previous year proved quite challenging.
“Therefore, we encountered difficulties for, I would estimate, an entire year. This included the latter portion of last year and the initial segment of this year. Nevertheless, I genuinely feel significantly improved presently.
“It’s unfortunate to lose the championship, yet concurrently, for an extended duration, I wasn’t even contemplating the title. I honestly didn’t perceive myself as a contender until just a few races ago, which is rather astonishing.
“Nonetheless, one derives satisfaction through various means. I am content with my own performance, and furthermore, looking ahead to next year, I am not in a position where I need to be concerned about my abilities or anything of that nature; thus, indeed, I feel optimistic.”
