Executing a clean and dominant drive around Yas Marina Circuit, Max Verstappen added another F1 Abu Dhabi GP win to his tally. While the Red Bull driver had a tough 2025 season, his recovery showcased both skill and determination. This final victory brought his win total to 8, making him the driver with the most P1 finishes this season.
Ending the season in P2 in the Drivers’ Championship for the first time since 2021, Verstappen accumulated 421 points. In a season where his worst result was a P10, the Dutchman lost out to Lando Norris by 2 points. Maximising his chances by delivering a flawless race and finishing P1, the Red Bull driver did everything he could to retain the title. A 104-point gap post-Zandvoort to the championship leader became 2 at the end.
The 2025 season
Going into the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP finale as a title contender seemed impossible for Max Verstappen at the beginning of the season. Yet, Red Bull Racing’s recovery since Laurent Mekies took over as TP brought the fifth championship from a dream to a possibility.
While it wasn’t meant to be this time around Yas Marina, Verstappen reviewed the “rollercoaster” of the 2025 season he had:
“Yeah, massive rollercoaster for us, of course, the first half. Some nice moments, but mainly tough, tough moments. Some really tough races and feelings. But I’m also very proud of how we never gave up.”
Additionally, the Dutchman made sure to highlight the silver linings. Happy with him and his team’s progress and resilience, the Red Bull driver underlined the important lessons of 2025:
“And again, that’s also a lesson for the future, for everyone, that even when it looks like you’re out of it, you never give up. You keep working hard, you know, to try and understand your issues, and then you never know what can happen.”
The Abu Dhabi experience
Since the F1 Abu Dhabi GP race weekend featured three championship contenders, the pressure was on for Max Verstappen to take advantage of every mistake and opportunity. During the post-race press conference, the Dutchman explained his point of view in terms of race strategy.
Verstappen got ahead to a clean start, slipping away from Lando Norris, who was then overtaken by his teammate, Oscar Piastri. The Australian managed to keep up with the RB21 and its driver thanks to an alternative tyre strategy — starting on hards and going for a one-stop.
“I had a lot of scenarios in my head. But then, of course, I knew once the tyres Oscar [Piastri] had on the car that that would be quite difficult. And I think, yeah, there was just… We were probably a bit too quick, you know, up front,” mentioned the Red Bull driver, in reference to the possibility of keeping closer to the pack to put pressure on the McLarens from the drivers behind.
“The others couldn’t really follow that well. I mean, I think Charles [Leclerc] drove his heart out today to try and get onto that podium. So that was also impressive to see. But, of course, there he went for a two-stop.
“Yeah, I think even, you know, that made it even more complicated. Because if you stay on a one-stop backing the whole thing up, it’s tough. And I think, anyway, this new layout around here makes it even harder to do that compared to 2016 or whatever.”
Highlights of the season
The Formula 1 2025 season provided great racing, as well as big disappointments. Nonetheless, after his successful run around the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen confessed to no hard feelings over this tumultuous 2025 campaign:
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I have no regrets of my season. I think the performance has been strong. I’ve hated this car at times, but I’ve also loved it at times. And I always try to extract the most of it, even in the difficult weekends that we have had. But, yeah.”
Furthermore, the Red Bull driver underlined the momentum his team managed to find and keep in the last rounds. Heading into winter break, Max Verstappen believes this energy is exactly what RBR needs in order to tackle next year’s challenges:
“I mean, it’s been, like I said before, a proper roller coaster with the car. But luckily, the last, I would say, eight, nine rounds in general have been a lot more enjoyable. And also in the team, you know, we have a great atmosphere at the moment. We’re really on a roll, positive energy, belief, confidence. And that’s exactly what you want, also heading into next year.”
Never giving up
In order to win the title in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP showdown, Max Verstappen needed to finish first with Lando Norris down in P4 or lower. The race itself was tame, especially compared to other rounds; there were no Safety Cars or stoppages. Despite the race itself going really great for the Dutchman, there was nothing more he could do.
However, Verstappen held out hope throughout his laps. While he admitted he never stopped to consider the title results in the race itself, the 28-year-old took an easygoing approach to the loss:
“I just kept looking on the screen if something would pop up. Yeah, I mean, the race itself, of course, went really well. And I didn’t, I was not really, I was just enjoying sitting in the car, driving it. I think it was a really good experience. And yeah, every straight you keep looking if something happens. But at the same time, that’s part of racing as well. So I was not really too fussed about it.”
