By Marcella Nadya
This season was such a high, especially for Max Verstappen, who fought
determinedly until the very end at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. To quote
his words “I’m relaxed. I have nothing to lose. The trophy is the same. I have four of
those at home.” I’m sure everyone was very nervous and on the edge of their seats
watching the title decider last Sunday. Now that the season has ended and Lando
Norris is the 2025 World Champion, and by the way, massive congratulations to
Lando, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at Verstappen’s impressive
results this season.
Verstappen started this season securing P2 in Melbourne. This was quite a
strong opening for him in the championship title. And then from P4 in China, he
bounced back with a win in Japan, only to drop to P6 in Bahrain, the inconsistency
becomes apparent. The lion was still hungry for his 5th title. He took a podium in
Saudi Arabia but missed out in Miami. Still, he never gives up easily. He bounced
back with a win in Emilia-Romagna.
After the first race in Italy, his results became even more inconsistent. Up to
this point, he still had never led the championship. McLaren was dominating, and the
conversation was all about whether Norris or Piastri would take the championship.
Meanwhile, Verstappen remained in the shadows. He might not have led the title
fight at all, but everyone still believed he had it in him. At one point, Verstappen even
said he was no longer fighting for the championship. Little did he know what the
future had in store.
Following the aftermath of a long absence from the podium and 1 DNF in
Austria, he roared back at his home race in the Dutch Grand Prix. It was not a win,
but it was enough to give a flicker of hope for those who still believed in him. We all
loved the fighting spirit he showed when he started winning again in Monza and
Azerbaijan. Round of applause for Max Verstappen everyone!
Everything was fine until Brazil where he had to start from the pit lane after
set-up changes under parc ferme and an engine change. Verstappen has an
incredible record of starting from the back of the grid, and he has even won from
there before. Although this time it’s a pit lane start, he still managed to finish P3.
Unreal is what he is.
His journey this season showed that it is not over until it is truly over. Despite
the big gap to the two McLaren drivers, Verstappen remained a title contender
throughout the season as he slowly closed in the gap in the second half of the
season. He did win in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, but unfortunately, those
victories were not enough to help him claim his 5th title. On his radio after the Abu
Dhabi GP, he admitted that he was not disappointed. There is always next season,
and at least he gave it his all. With that, I want to say well done to Max Verstappen
for an incredible comeback, cutting a 104-point gap down to just 2 points in only nine
races. Enjoy the three months without F1, everyone. I am already looking forward to
next season, and I hope you all enjoyed this season as much as I did.
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