Max Verstappen — 2025 season

Max Verstappen's 2025 season, while yielding 8 wins and 15 podiums, marked a significant shift from his prior dominance, concluding with a second-place finish in the drivers' championship as the field's competitiveness intensified.

Going in

Following years of Red Bull Racing's formidable performance, particularly in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, expectations for Max Verstappen entering 2025 remained high. The ground-effect era regulations, which had seen the field close up considerably in 2024, promised a more contested championship. Verstappen, with his established prowess, was anticipated to lead the charge, but the landscape suggested that outright dominance might be harder to achieve. The RB21 chassis, designed within the simplified aero and 18-inch wheel constraints, faced a more formidable challenge from rival constructors.

How it played out

Verstappen's season began with a strong second place at the Australian Grand Prix, followed by a fourth in China. His first victory arrived early at the Japanese Grand Prix, signaling Red Bull's continued capability. However, the mid-season brought a period of inconsistency not seen in his recent championship campaigns. A sixth-place finish in Bahrain, a fourth in Miami, and a notable tenth position at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he collected just 1 point, highlighted the fluctuating performance of the Red Bull package against a more competitive grid. The Austrian Grand Prix saw his sole retirement of the season due to a collision, further impacting his points tally. A ninth-place finish in Hungary underscored the challenges faced during this phase. This period contrasted sharply with the consistent podiums of his earlier dominant years, suggesting that the car was not always the fastest on track, a sentiment echoed by other drivers like Oliver Bearman — 2025 season who also navigated a competitive mid-field.

The latter half of the season, however, saw a significant resurgence. From the Italian Grand Prix onwards, Verstappen found a rhythm, securing six victories in the final nine races. These wins at Monza, Baku City Circuit, Circuit of the Americas, Las Vegas Street Circuit, Lusail International Circuit, and Yas Marina Circuit demonstrated his ability to maximize performance when the car was competitive. He added further podiums in Singapore, Mexico, and Brazil, accumulating a total of 15 podium finishes across the 24-race calendar. This late-season charge, while impressive, was not enough to overcome the points deficit accumulated earlier, ultimately placing him second in the Drivers' Championship with 421 points.