Max Verstappen claims he didn’t lose 2025 F1 title in Spain, but should he be more self-critical?

Looking at the calculations for Max Verstappen’s 2025 Formula 1 season, from one perspective, is overwhelming.

On the one hand, he made a remarkable comeback, going from 104 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri with nine Grands Prix remaining to just two points behind new world champion Lando Norris at the end of the season.

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On the other hand, Verstappen lost at least nine points at the Spanish Grand Prix when, after a Turn 1 clash with George Russell, the Dutchman was furious that race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase asked him to let the Mercedes pass after cutting Turn 2.

Verstappen started to slow down but immediately crashed into Russell at Turn 5, earning him a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to 10th. That’s a nine-point loss.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes

Just after the Barcelona race, the Red Bull driver was dismissive, putting an end to questions about the incident. “Is it important?” he retorted. He was more open about it last month, acknowledging an “error” on Dutch TV channel Viaplay.

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But given the potentially decisive impact on the title race, he was always going to be asked about it at the post-race press conference in Abu Dhabi – and The guardianGiles Richards of asked the bold question.

“Max, you lost to Lando by only two points,” Richards said. “What do you think now about the incident with George Russell in Spain? Do you regret that in hindsight?”

“You forget about all the other things that happened during my season,” Verstappen replied, becoming more and more irritated as he went on. “The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew this would happen. You’re giving me a stupid smile now. I don’t know. Yes, it’s part of the race in the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds. I also received a lot of early Christmas presents in the second half, so you can question that too.”

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Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

There is no doubt that McLaren has lost a lot of points this season, and most importantly, no one can say that this particular incident cost Verstappen the title. The butterfly effect means that if the Red Bull driver hadn’t driven up to Russell, the rest of the season would certainly have gone differently – and no one can say how.

But Verstappen’s attitude – which stems in part from the way he behaves with the British media compared to Dutch journalists – stands in stark contrast to that of the driver to whom he lost the world title.

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Read also:

Lando Norris proud of ‘winning F1 title my way’ without needing to be aggressive

Lando Norris has always been self-critical – probably to an extreme that sometimes amounts to self-flagellation. He is not the only one to have this philosophy, to which Charles Leclerc has also always adhered.

Even after winning the title, Norris was keenly aware that his season had been far from perfect.

“If I think back, my first half of the season is not the most impressive,” commented the Briton. “Certainly, I’ve made mistakes at times, made poor judgments. I’ve made my mistakes, as I’m sure every driver would admit.”

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But would Verstappen be? We can only admire his self-confidence. This is part of his cruelty. But will he really learn from the unnecessary mistake he made at Barcelona? He swore it in Dutch, he provocatively said it in English. Only time will tell.

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