Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen's F1 results

Max Verstappen is in a tough battle to defend his F1 title with Red Bull in 2025.

The McLaren has overtaken Red Bull as the fastest car on the grid and Verstappen is struggling to keep pace with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

It means a fifth straight F1 drivers' title would be his finest yet - but is looking unlikely.

Verstappen's future with Red Bull is also the subject of much debate.

Despite being contracted until 2028 there has been speculation inside the paddock that he could seek a quicker car elsewhere, with Mercedes holding some interest in him.

The exit of Christian Horner as Red Bull team principal adds another layer of complexity to Verstappen's future.

Max Verstappen won four F1 titles in a row

Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive F1 drivers’ title in 2024 - and it was arguably his best yet. Despite winning seven of the opening ten races, Red Bull’s form quickly tailed off.

This left Verstappen exposed at the top of the standings amid McLaren’s strong form in the hands of Lando Norris. However, even though McLaren had a superior car, Verstappen continued to deliver brilliant drives to maintain his lead at the top of the championship.

He took a spectacular victory from 17th on the grid at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to effectively secure the title. Alongside Liam Lawson in 2025, Verstappen will be hopeful Red Bull have made crucial improvements over the winter.

Max Verstappen was an early F1 record setter

Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 history to start a Grand Prix when he made his debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. He then became the youngest driver to score points in Malaysia.

An impressive rookie season saw him promoted to the main Red Bull team alongside Daniel Ricciardo after a handful of races in 2016. He won on debut for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

Due to an underperforming Renault power unit, Red Bull could never beat Mercedes or Ferrari on merit until their switch to Honda in 2019. Still, Verstappen added further wins in 2017 in Malaysia and Mexico.

By 2018, Verstappen was in the ascendancy against Ricciardo. The Monaco Grand Prix was a turning point for the Dutchman. After an error-strewn start to the year, Verstappen’s form post-Monaco was incredible, finding consistency that he hadn’t shown before. He added two more wins in Austria and Mexico, finishing fourth overall in the standings.

With Ricciardo leaving the team for Renault in 2019, Verstappen quickly became Red Bull’s sole focus. He finished third in the standings in 2019, winning in Austria, Germany, and Brazil.

It was a similar story in 2020, with Verstappen as the nearest challenger to Mercedes. He was able to win again - this time at Silverstone in the 70th Anniversary GP and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2021 was the year Verstappen finally had the machinery to take on Lewis Hamilton head-to-head. The title battle went down to the wire, benefiting from Michael Masi’s ill-handling of the Abu Dhabi finale.

Still, it was an incredible season from Verstappen, who was widely regarded as the best driver of 2021, irrespective of Abu Dhabi. Verstappen saw off Ferrari’s charge in 2022 to take a second title, while 2023 was the most dominant F1 season in history as he won 19 of the 22 races.

2024 saw Verstappen dig deep, with Red Bull having the third-to-fourth-fastest car on several occasions, but a strong end to the year allowed him to secure the title in Las Vegas.