Max Verstappen's Highs and Lows in the 2025 F1 Season

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KabarOto.com - Red Bull Racing made the biggest changes in the second half of the season, and Max Verstappen, who initially seemed unlikely to win the championship, narrowly lost the title with a strong finish and more wins than his rivals.

However, Yuki Tsunoda struggled, leading to a new driver for the 2026 season.

Max Verstappen was a 1st-place winner in Japan, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Azerbaijan, the United States, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Before the summer break, Verstappen had two wins, with the Dutch driver struggling to add to his total as Red Bull Racing's performance declined.

The situation changed dramatically in the second half of the season, as the team rebounded, with Verstappen finishing in the top spot in six out of ten races, re-entering the driver's championship battle against the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Verstappen not only secured his wins through driving skills on par with the champions, but he also made sure that he was ready to capitalize on any mistakes made by his rivals, as seen in Qatar, where Verstappen lost a potential win due to a strategic mistake by Red Bull Racing.

The earlier struggles at the home team in Austria proved to be a moment to be forgotten for Red Bull Racing. Qualifying was far from smooth, with Tsunoda eliminated in Q1 while Verstappen lagged behind in seventh place after being hindered by a yellow flag towards the end of the session.

On race day, the situation worsened as Verstappen was hit by Antonelli on the opening lap and was knocked out of the competition, while Tsunoda finished in 16th place.

Unfortunately, the struggles faced by the 25-year-old driver throughout the season may have been one of the hardest aspects for Red Bull Racing in this campaign, with only scoring points failing to elevate the team above third place in the constructors' championship.

It appears that Red Bull Racing's primary goal is to kick off 2026 in the same way they ended 2025, assuming that the performance was already present from the start of the season, the championship battle might have been even tighter.

Verstappen emphasized that losing the 2025 title by only two points wasn't disappointing, considering he once trailed the leader by over 100 points in the standings. However, this Dutch driver remained in top form and is sure to be eager to compete again in 2026, which he describes as a 'big question mark for everyone.'

One question that has already been answered is about Verstappen's teammate identity, with Isack Hadjar being confirmed to move up from Racing Bulls, replacing Tsunoda.

Laurent Mekies (CEO Red Bull Racing) has expressed his hopes for the young driver, saying he sees this as a new beginning for him to continue growing, impressing RBR, and continuing to surprise.

Only time will tell if Hadjar can build on the promise of his maiden season and meet his goals, and whether Red Bull Racing will ultimately return to the top of the standings in 2026.

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