Max Verstappen has been having a tougher 2025 F1 season compared to recent years.
He is 49 points behind Lando Norris after the F1 São Paulo GP. Last year he Qualified 12th and started the race 17th after a 5-place grid penalty due to a new engine fit. That didn’t stop him from winning the race.
Many were hoping for a similar result in the 2025 F1 São Paulo GP as Verstappen qualified 16th and started from the pits after a power unit change. He finished third on the podium and gained crucial points to keep him in a three-way fight for the 2025 F1 season’s WDC.
With three races to go, Verstappen’s chances are looking grim, but it wasn’t just the last race that had him struggling. He has won a total of 5 races in the 2025 F1 season. The four-time world champion had won 8 races this time last year.
Seeing red in Spain
Verstappen attributes his clash with Russell at the F1 Spanish GP as a major mistake of his 2025 F1 season. He was told to let the Mercedes driver through after he ran off the track on turn 1 and rejoined ahead of Russell, although the Dutchman was just in front on entry. He mentions ‘everything went red’ when he then accelerated and collided with Russell into turn 5 at the F1 Spanish GP.
“The only point of criticism is obviously Barcelona. That move itself – and the entire incident – was not good, but that’s also because I care a lot. I could have thought, ‘this car isn’t working anyway, so I let it go.”
Highly self-critical
Verstappen mentions how much he cares about racing and that keeping his emotions in check is the key to his success in the 2025 F1 season. He is a driver who likes to put it all out on the track. He cannot accept a race result knowing he didn’t give it his all.
“I can’t accept – towards myself – stepping out of the car and knowing that I didn’t give everything. Then I get angry with myself, so I can’t drive at 80%.”
The Dutchman has an all-or-nothing approach to the 2025 F1 season, saying he ‘can’t drive at 80%’. The Barcelona race progressively got worse for him and the tipping point was the switch in positions with Russell. He is quite self-critical and mentions his anger comes when he isn’t able to give it his all.
“When I get out of the car, I always need to be able to tell to myself, ‘I did everything I could.’ That’s why I was so angry in Barcelona – first with what happened on the straight at the restart, then into Turn 1, and then of course when I was told to give the position back. That’s when all signs went red.”
Taking credit for his mistakes
Verstappen acknowledges that he let his emotions get the best of him at the F1 Spanish GP. He plans on learning from his mistake during the 2025 F1 season and preventing a recurrence next year.
“That was a mistake from my side, and of course I learn from it.”
The Red Bull driver is confident that these mistakes won’t happen again even under similar conditions. He is taking accountability for his mistake and figuring out how to prevent an outburst next year. The four-time world champion is still happy with his performance when looking back at his 2025 F1 season.
“Those moments won’t happen again next year, even if we’re in a similar situation with the car. These are the small things you learn from, but overall, in terms of performance, the season was absolutely good.”
Satisfied second place
The 2025 F1 season started out tough for Verstappen as McLaren dominated the track. He got his first and only DNF in Austria and struggled to keep up with Norris and Piastri. As of his home race, the Dutchman has been on a podium streak for the last 7 races.
He was able to get back in the fight for the Championship behind the two McLaren drivers. Verstappen knows he was up against a lot of challenges during the 2025 F1 season. Given the circumstances, he feels he maximized his performance through the year.
“Every season you try to look back and think ‘where did I leave something on the table’ or ‘where could I have been a bit more consistent?’ But with the material I had, I think I’ve maximized a lot throughout the season.”
