MAX VERSTAPPEN BRISTLES AT SUGGESTION GEORGE RUSSELL CRASH COST HIM THE TITLE
Max Verstappen insisted he had “no regrets” after falling just short in his quest to win a fifth consecutive Formula One title, taking issue with one journalist who suggested that his road-rage incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix in June might have cost him the crown.
Verstappen stormed to his eighth victory of the year in Abu Dhabi – which was more than any other driver managed. McLaren’s championship winner Lando Norris and team mate Oscar Piastri took seven wins apiece in 2025.
But it proved to be not quite enough. Despite an incredible comeback in the final part of the year, Verstappen, who found himself 104 points off the pace after his home race in September, was beaten by just two points in the final reckoning.
Red Bull’s four-time world champion bristled at a suggestion from one journalist, however, that the incident in Spain might have been to blame.
Verstappen was sanctioned by the stewards in Barcelona for deliberately driving into Mercedes’ Russell. He dropped from fifth to 10th as a result, costing him nine points.
Asked if he regretted his driving in Spain – for which he subsequently accepted blame – Verstappen snapped back: “You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season. The only thing that you mention is Barcelona. I knew that [question] would come. And you are giving me a stupid grin now.”
Verstappen said it was too easy to pick out isolated incidents during the season. Norris, for instance, was handed three points when McLaren controversially decided to swap their drivers around at the Italian Grand Prix, and the Briton ended up winning the title by just two points.
“It is part of racing,” Verstappen said. “You live and learn. A championship is won over 24 rounds and I have also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me in the second half of the season so you can also question that, too.”
Verstappen added that in his opinion 2025 had been the “best” season of his career in terms of his driving.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I mean, I have no regrets. I think the performance has been strong. I’ve hated this car at times, but I’ve also loved it at times. It’s been, like I said before, a proper roller-coaster with the car. Luckily, the last, I would say, eight, nine rounds in general have been a lot more enjoyable. And also, in the team, 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 heading into next year.”
Verstappen had warm words for Norris, saying the Briton should enjoy this moment with his friends and family and hailing McLaren’s “incredible season”.
Verstappen also praised his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who was forced to miss a few races earlier this year for private reasons and was clearly hugely emotional at the end of the race.
“I don’t want to go too much into detail, but it’s been tough,” Verstappen said. “But I’m very happy to be able to work with someone that passionate. Of course, he is my race engineer, but I see him as my friend.”
Piastri, meanwhile, said he had been inspired by Australia’s victory in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane earlier on Sunday, quipping that “it was nice that the boys could wrap it up before the race started”.
But the Australian lamented the fact that he had been unable to overhaul Norris for the title. Piastri said he did not expect the team dynamic to change next year now that Norris was champion and praised McLaren’s efforts to be even-handed, saying the fact that he and Norris had not had any major bust-ups all year was “testament to the way we go racing”.
Piastri said he would now go on holiday and hoped to attend the Boxing Day test at the MCG.
“There’s part of me that kind of wants the series to still be alive by that point, and part of me that really doesn’t,” he said. “It [the cricket] has been enjoyable to watch for the last couple of weeks.”
Recommended
How Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen's monopoly on the F1 title
2025-12-07T21:00:41Z